Summer Love
by VegetarianVampire17
Summary: Bella is a typical lovesick teenager who has a huge crush on a not so typical guy. Put them together in a relatively remote village for an entire week and...don't say I didn't warn you :D Embarrassing with plenty of laughs! ALL HUMAN ExB Read and review!
1. Lovesick Teenager

"Bella

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight…or Edward…unfortunately…

**Hey, as you've heard from the summary, this story is all about one of Bella's holidays and all the things that happen there. It's all set in England, of course hehe, and most of it's based on real life so I hope you all like it. Please review and let me know what you think at the end! Kthx **

**Harpz xx**

Chapter 1 – Lovesick teenager

"Bella!" My mother called from the bottom of the stairs. "Hurry up, we're leaving!"

"Coming mum!" I grabbed my suitcase and made for the door.

This was it, the holiday I had been waiting for all year. Every summer, my parents, Renée, Charlie and I would go down to the Cotswolds for a week, to a timeshare in Uley. My gullible dad had won a mystery prize 15 years ago and when he went to collect it, some very persuasive sales people talked him into buying a cottage. Since then, we'd had to go there every year in the allocated week. But I don't regret him buying it. Uley had become my favourite holiday destination and it was then one thing I always looked forward to. I had been going there as long as I could remember and there was nothing that could stop me from going again. Except for Edward Cullen.

Edward Cullen was a sixth-former at my grammar school and I had been crushing on him badly since he started my school last year. I went to an all girls' school so as soon as my school started letting in boys for the sixth-form, practically the entire school was lovesick. You could literally smell the teenage hormones in the air every time a boy walked past. But I didn't care about the other boys; I only had eyes for Edward Cullen, as did the majority of the other girls. He was the major hottie, the primary target in the sixth-form and I don't think there was a single girl who didn't find him in the slightest bit gorgeous. Of course he was a little old for me. I had just turned 15 and he was 17, not to mention completely out of my league.

No matter how much I stalked him, how much I stared dreamily at him, he never looked at me twice. He knew all about me though. A concept I found extremely embarrassing and contradictorily flattering at the same time. One of my friends didn't hesitate in spilling all to him the moment she found out I liked him so naturally, I was horrified. But a part of me loved it. Loved knowing that he knew about me, loved knowing that he acknowledged the fact that I existed when the rest of his admirers remained anonymous. Loved knowing that he'd said my name at some point in the last year.

I had become infamous in the sixth-form. I was Edward Cullen's little lovesick stalker, the one who never spoke to him, the one who only ogled from afar, the one who inconspicuously followed his every footstep. He'd only recently found out what I looked like. Perhaps that was why I was so much more famous than the hundreds of other girls, because I was a mystery. Sure, everyone had told him about me and how in love I was with him, but he didn't know who I was. This was why I got away with it.

But in the last week of school, he was sitting on the field eating his lunch, coincidentally right behind my group of friends, when one of them, Ellie, decided to embarrass me purposely. She shouted out, "Bella! Isn't that lover boy, Edward!?" She was so loud that the whole school probably heard so it was no surprise that his head snapped up when she said his name. I tried to hide behind one of my other friends, Lydia, but by then it was too late. How could he not know it was me? How could he miss the one who was blushing furiously, whose face was bright red and whose brown eyes were practically bulging out of her head. The one who was smacking Ellie's arm so hard that if she wasn't so big and strong, it probably would have fallen off. And then he smiled. That dazzling crooked smile that made my heart beat so fast that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I couldn't peel my eyes away from his glorious face, the way his deep hazel eyes sparkled with amusement and how he ran his pale hands through his glittering bronze hair, slightly embarrassed.

Lydia nudged me at that point and I realised that I must have looked like an idiot. Staring at him as if I was in a trance, who wouldn't be if you were looking into the face of the most beautiful angel in existence? I blushed again and ran away at once, ignoring my friends who were collapsing with laughter and his who were snickering and punching him teasingly. My life was so over.

For the rest of the week, I stayed well out of his way. I avoided all the corridors that he might walk down, seeing as I had practically memorised his whole timetable, even though I didn't really even remember mine. I went to lunch really late, when the whole field was almost empty and stayed in the computer rooms during breaks, to be on the safe side. I couldn't keep from seeing him completely though. Sometimes, when no one else was with me - even though most of my friends had been very supportive of me after that incident, eating when I wanted to, taking scenic routes – I would sneak up to the second floor corridor, the "runway" we called it, and watch him going to lunch from the large window that covered the north- facing wall. He saw me once, on the way to English. I had become a little sloppy towards the end of the week and decided to take a short-cut to the classroom, forgetting that he had that subject right before I did. And inevitably he appeared from the doorway, talking to some of his friends. I stopped immediately as I heard the sound of his musical, velvety voice and knew that it was too late to stop myself. I looked up and saw him smiling down at me, just as he went past.

I was relieved in a way that the summer holidays had come. At least it would give me the break I so desperately needed, and it would hopefully give him time to forget all about me and the fact that I ever existed. It was so much better that way. I was happy, he was happy, as usual. However, I hadn't reacted to the holidays in the way that I had hoped I would. Instead of getting over Edward, I just wanted to see him even more. I missed him terribly, longing for the chance to see him again, even if it did mean embarrassing myself. I was hopelessly in love. This was the one thing that could stop me from going to Uley. Seeing Edward Cullen again. But I knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon, not until I got back to school anyway, so for the time being, I would just have to sit back and wait patiently like a good girl, I try to enjoy myself at Uley. Edward's face weaved its way back into my thoughts, his perfect features, his amazing smile, his mesmerising eyes…

"OWWW!" My suitcase had fallen out of my hands, dropping heavily on my foot. "Ouch ouch ouch!!" I clutched my foot, hopping up and down, losing my balance in the process. I tripped up on the step I was standing on and half fell down the stairs, landing flat on my butt. "Crap, ouch!"

"Bella…" Renée looked at me disapprovingly, shaking her head. "How many times have I told you not to mess around on the stairs! You know how clumsy you are! You should have gotten your dad to carry it. Charlie!"

"Coming dear!" Charlie plodded down the stairs with as much grace as an elephant, I had no trouble figuring out where my balancing skills came from, and scooped up my suitcase effortlessly. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Yep, just need to get Bella's stuff in the car." Charlie put my suitcase into the boot of his cruiser and sat in the driver's seat. Renée sat in the front next to him and I took my place in the back seat.

"Off we go then!" Charlie put his key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. I settled into my seat, resting my head back, trying to fall asleep. The ride to Uley would take around three hours so I figured I might as well pass the time dreaming of Edward…

"Bella? Bella sweetheart, wake up! We're there!" I felt my mother's cool hands cupping around my cheeks and my eyes immediately flickered open. I stared out the window at the row of cottages that confronted me, and the large stately home that towered above us on the other side. We were in Uley. I jumped out of the car, a sudden enthusiasm lifting my spirits, and ran to the little cottage that I had stayed in since I was a baby. I fiddled with the key in the iron lock and sprinted through the corridor, twirling and spinning around as I went. Charlie smiled at my childishness, dragging the suitcases through the doorway.

"Take your time Bella, we have all week!" He chuckled.

"I know, I'm just so excited! I want to go swimming! Oh mum, can we go swimming?" Uley had various facilities, a snooker room, a tennis court, a golf course, a croquet lawn and many others, but my favourite was the swimming pool.

"If you like Bella, once we get settled in though. Your father and I are going to go and visit the neighbours first, the cottage next door has finally been bought and we're going to see if any of our old friends are still here. Why don't you go and take a walk or something?" Renée drew back the curtains, and rummaged through the kitchen drawers, seeing what complimentary foods they'd stocked us with.

"Sure mum! I'll be back in a bit!" I skipped outside, pecking her on the cheek as I went by. Maybe this week would be better than I thought? I ran up the small slope leading up to the car park and trotted across the gravel. I knew exactly where I was going to go. There was a giant oak tree to the right of the car park that looked over the mini golf course. I used to love sitting under there in the evenings, watching the sun set and that was the first place I would always visit when I arrived at Uley. I smiled as soon as the familiar tree came into sight and slowed my pace, breathing in the fresh country air. It was early evening, so the sun was just beginning to set.

"Perfect!" I muttered to myself as I sat down on one of the protruding tree roots and gazed at the pink-purple sky. The sun's yellow glow faded as it brushed the freshly cut grass and the distant tree tops glistened as it began to disappear. I sighed contently and leaned against the rough bark of the tree trunk and curled up, wrapping my arms around my knees. Sitting here, watching the same scene from the same spot made me feel like a small child again, and for a moment, I lost track of everything, even the time.

Then suddenly something smacked into the back of my head. I sat up startled and realised that it was almost dark. A small spherical object rolled past me, it was a football. I picked it up and squinted behind myself, adjusting my eyes to the new light.

"Oh I'm so sorry…" I turned towards the direction the voice had come from and my breath caught in my throat. As the dark figure stepped into the glow of the lamplight by the outside swimming pool, his features suddenly became shockingly familiar.

"Bella?"

**Ok there it is! Please please review and let me know what you think! Is it worth me carrying on? Oh and btw, Uley is a real place and everything that's described in it is also real, down to the oak tree. It's actually my favourite place ever and I'm heading up there in a couple of weeks so I thought it would be the perfect setting for this story :D Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!!**

**Harpz x**


	2. Imagination

Disclaimer: Everything Twilight is owned by Stephanie Meyer…

Disclaimer: Everything Twilight is owned by Stephanie Meyer…

**Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last time, I loved hearing from you all! Here the next chapter…. :D**

* * *

_Previously…_

_Then suddenly something smacked into the back of my head. I sat up startled and realised that it was almost dark. A small spherical object rolled past me, it was a football. I picked it up and squinted behind myself, adjusting my eyes to the new light._

_"Oh I'm so sorry…" I turned towards the direction the voice had come from and my breath caught in my throat. As the dark figure stepped into the glow of the lamplight by the outside swimming pool, his features suddenly became shockingly familiar._

_"Bella?"_

Chapter 2 – Imagination

My heart stuttered to a halt. I took a deep uneven breath to steady myself.

"Um….uh….Edward?" My voice came out in a pathetic squeak, but I didn't worry about that. The only thing that was on my mind was the fact that my personal angel was standing here right in front me, and he said my name! This must have been a dream…it didn't make any sense otherwise. The most gorgeous boy in existence was standing in my favourite holiday destination. I must have been dreaming. That was the only logical explanation. I must have fallen asleep when I was watching the sunset. _But this felt so real! The ball definitely hit my head!_ Well, I had been known to have pretty vivid dreams in the past. I must have known Edward's face so well that I could reconstruct it perfectly in my imagination. Yet, surely my imagination couldn't be this perfect? I decided I would make the most of the moment. There was no need to get all embarrassed; this was just a dream. And I rarely had a dream as amazing as this.

I hauled myself up unsteadily, holding the tree trunk for support and looked directly into Edward's glorious smiling face. Dream or not, his smile still took my breath away. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. I bit my lip, unsure of what to say and Edward brushed his hand through his hair, keeping his eyes down, seeming just as unsure as me.

"Well…this is...uh…a coincidence!" He finally chuckled, raising his eyebrows at me and smiling crookedly at me again.

"Not really, no. I mean…ok…I haven't ever dreamt about you in Uley before but…I suppose with the whole perfect moment under the oak tree thing, my mind just had to perfect it with you. Weird though…you've never been this clear before…" I trailed off as Edward's eyes narrowed confusedly and he looked at me as if I was going insane.

"Bella, are you feeling alright? Maybe the ball hit you too hard…"

"Couldn't be better! Well, if this were real then…yeah, I would better, undoubtedly. But for the time being this'll do!" I grinned at him as some kind of realisation crept up onto his face.

"This _is_ real Bella."

"I wish…" I rolled my eyes. My imagination was much more realistic than I thought.

"You think you're dreaming!" I could detect the amusement in his face, in his mocking smile.

"Of course I am!" I retorted. Of course I was dreaming!

"Bella, you're not dreaming. I'm really here you know and my football actually did hit you a little too hard. Sorry about that by the way, my aim isn't usually that bad." What was he on about? I remembered the football smacking into the back of my head, and it did hurt a little, but that didn't mean it was real…or was it? It was probably just my mind recalling what it feels like to be hit in the head, that feeling wasn't exactly uncommon to me.

"Edward don't be so stupid…I'm probably going to wake up some time soon so please don't ruin this for me!" It felt so odd, arguing with a figment of my imagination. I giggled at my absurdity. He laughed too, such an amazing laugh…

"Ah Bella! Why didn't you ever talk to me before? Ha! This is priceless! You honestly believe you're dreaming?" He flashed me a brilliant smile, showing off his flawless white teeth. "Is there anything I can do to prove to you that you're not dreaming?"

"Nope." I shook my head arrogantly. "I know I'm dreaming and there's nothing you can do to convince me otherwise."

Edward smiled again and held out his hand for me. I arched one eyebrow incredulously and he just stepped closer, gesturing for me to take it. I reached forward uncertainly, biting my lip, all confidence completely gone. The moment I felt his hand in mine, my heart fluttered. It felt so _real_! His hand was so smooth and cold, it was too good to be true. I gulped down the lump in my throat as realisation hit. I stared at him wide-eyed, frozen to the spot. Edward smirked, taking in my shocked expression.

"Convinced now?"

"Err…um….uh…" I couldn't face him now. I must have sounded so ridiculous! I felt the blood rush from my cheeks and suddenly felt giddy. My head spun and the angel in front of me began to blur. And then it went black.

* * *

"Crap, they're gonna kill me! Oh Bella, please wake up!" My eyes snapped open at once and I found myself lying on the grass, the sky ever darker, with Edward clutching the bridge of his nose beside me. I lifted myself up and Edward immediately turned his gaze on me.

"Bella, you're up! Thank god! You scared the hell out of me!" He sighed, clearly relieved.

"Wha…" I tried to come to terms with what was going on but my mind was still too clouded to fully comprehend what was going on.

"Err…you fainted Bella."

"I did what!?"

"Maybe it was too much to take at once, or the football head injury finally kicked in…Just don't ever do that to me again!" He helped me up again and I began to sway unsteadily, still getting my bearings. "Woah, easy there." Edward gripped my elbows and I took a deep breath. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Erm, yeah…I think so…" He released one of my arms so I could turn around but kept me supported with the other.

"I didn't realise my presence would stun you so much!" He joked, sighing again.

"Neither did I."

"I was going to call your parents but you got up before I had the chance, thankfully. I'd have no idea what to tell them."

"Oh…I don't think they would need much persuading. I'm pretty clumsy. They wouldn't be surprised that I fell over again." Edward smiled at me and we began making our way towards my cottage. "So you never did tell me…how come you're here?"

"Well, my parents have been coming up to the Cotswolds for some time now and they came across this place so we thought we'd try it out. We love hiking and stuff so this area's perfect."

"Yeah, I prefer sticking to the smaller things."

"Figures…" We stopped by at my house and I reached for the doorknob.

"Will you be alright from here?" Edward asked.

"Oh I think I'll manage somehow!" I smiled and Edward smiled back. Before he could leave, Renée opened the door.

"Bella, I was just going to come and look for you, where have you been all this time?" And then she took in Edward, standing next to me, still holding my arm.

"Hello, Mrs Swan." Edward smiled angelically. I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly. How did he know my surname?

"Oh, hello there. You must be Carlisle and Esme's younger son, Edward, right?"

"Ah yes, you've met my parents?" How did my mother know his parents?

"Yes, just now. Bella, the Cullens are our new neighbours. They bought number 12."

"Oh…" I replied. So not only was Edward in Uley but he was my neighbour! Could life get any better?

"Would you like to come in, Edward?" Renée asked him. I felt the blush finally returning to my cheeks.

"Well actually, my parents are probably expecting me back now. I'd better be off."

"Oh, of course! Well, we'll see you soon then, I hope."

"Sure, bye Mrs Swan…Bella…" Edward walked off to the house next door, winking at me as he went past.

"Bye…" I muttered, blushing again. I dodged past Renée and slumped down on the sofa, switching on the TV. Renée sat on the armchair opposite me and raised her eyebrows.

"So, what were you doing with Edward anyway?" Her question took me off guard. I straightened up on the sofa and pretended to casually flip through the TV channels.

"Err…nothing. I was just sitting under the oak tree as usual, you know…"

"And he was with you?" I hated the fact that my mum could be so observant at times.

"Nope, he came later on. He was playing football nearby."

"And he just came up to you?"

"What is this? Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

"I'm just wondering, that's all…Is it a crime for a mother to be remotely interested in what her daughter gets up to?"

"Mum, I have not been _up_ to anything! He just said hello and introduced himself, that's all! Nothing _happened_!" My pitiful attempts at lying never fooled her. I knew she could see right through my cover up but thankfully, let it be. I went back to watching the TV, hoping she would forget about it.

"He's a very good-looking lad, I'll give you that…" She said, around five minutes later.

"Mum, could you just forget about Edward!? It's no big deal!"

"Sure, sure…I was just pointing it out…in case you hadn't noticed." Me? Not notice? Ha! "So, I'm surprised you haven't gone over to number 10 yet."

"Number 10?"

"The Hales are back."

"Really!?" I jumped off of my chair at once. "Can I go see them?"

"Course you can, your father and I already have."

"Okay then, I'll be back by nine!"

"Have fun Bells!"

I slipped on my shoes in a hurry and ran across to number 10. The Hales had been coming to Uley for as long as we had and over the years, we'd become great friends. Especially Rosalie and I. Rose was only a year older than me so we'd been encouraged to hang out together since we arrived. We only met up at Uley, seeing as they lived quite far away, but Rose and I kept in contact through MSN and e-mail. I told her absolutely everything and she told me the same. She was like the sister I never had. I knocked impatiently at the door and was greeted a minute later by Rose's older brother, Jasper.

"Bella?!"

"Jazz!" I embraced him excitedly and skipped into the living room.

"Lovely to see you Bella!" He chuckled, while his mother, Amy, stepped out from the kitchen.

"Bella, sweetheart! My, haven't you grown!" Amy patted me on the cheek.

"Yes, Mrs Hale. A little…" I blushed. "Where's Rose and Mr Hale?"

"Oh, Thomas has gone to play snooker with your father, I believe, and Rose is ups…"

"BELLA!!" Rose squealed before Amy could finish. I gasped as I saw how much she had changed. She looked so much womanlier. Of course, she was beautiful anyway, with her flowing blonde hair, blue eyes and a figure most models would die for. Just being in the same room as Rose would make any girl feel extremely inferior. But I had no need to feel like that, Rose was like my best friend and inside, she was still the same. She ran down the wooden spiral staircase and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and we jumped up and down like a bunch of two-year olds. Jasper just rolled his eyes.

"Oh my god! It's been millenniums!" She grabbed my hand and led my upstairs to her room. "So much to catch up on!" We sat down on her bed cross-legged. "So how are you?"

"Oh, couldn't be better!"

"Great! So how come you didn't come over earlier?" She pouted.

"Oh, I kinda fell asleep."

"Typical…" She rolled her eyes.

"So…uh…have you had a chance to meet your new neighbours?"

"One of them, yeah…" Where was she going with this?

"The boy?"

"Err….yeah…"

"Oh my goodness, isn't he gorgeous!" She fell back on her bed, then sat up again, much more animated this time. "Don't you think?"

"I suppose…" I heard the sadness in my voice. If Rose wanted Edward, she would have him. No boy on this planet could turn her down. Why did this always have to happen to me? I had no chance against her. She continued rambling on…

"Oh and his muscles…I don't usually go for the burly type but Emmett is just…wow!" Hold up a second…

"Emmett? Surely you mean Edward?"

"Edward? Oh is that his younger brother?"

"Erm…wait a second….you like the older one?"

"Of course! Edward's gorgeous, I know, but he's not as manly as Emmett. He's not my type." I sighed in relief and felt the life coming to me. She didn't like Edward…she liked Emmett! Emmett was Edward's older brother. He was in the year above Edward in the sixth-form, he was going to university now. I hadn't really paid much notice of him, he wasn't anything compared to Edward, in my opinion anyway. He was so tall and muscular. To be honest, he kind of scared me.

"Oh. My. God." Rose stared at me wide-eyed. "It's him isn't it?"

"Who's who?" I asked, confused.

"Emmett's brother, Edward. He's the one you told me about in the e-mail. Emmett said they lived in the same town as you. Oh why didn't I think of this before!?" She smacked her forehead, annoyed. "You said the guy was called Edward Cullen. And Emmett's surname is Cullen! It's him isn't it?" I knew she'd figure it out eventually. I'd told Rosalie everything and it would only be a matter of time. I couldn't lie to her now, she wouldn't embarrass me like the others.

"Yes…" I whispered, blushing again. Rosalie screamed.

"WOW!! This is so perfect! Have you met him yet?"

"Yes…I kind of fainted…"

"Ha! Tell me…I want to know _everything_!" She stared at me expectantly and I began to tell the tale. She seemed to find the fact that I thought I was dreaming hilarious. She listened patiently to the rest, commenting on certain parts here and there, laughing when I did something she thought was ridiculous and when I was finished, she knew the whole story as well as I did.

"This week is going to be amazing!" She sighed. "Shame the devil twins are here…"

"What?!" The devil twins, Jane and Alec were our worst nightmares come true. They were probably around 10 years old now and they loved making our life hell. Their toddler years were the worst. Their parents would always dump them on Rose and I when they went hiking and they enjoyed making our lives hell. We also called them Pain-in-the-arse no.1 and Pain-in-the-arse no.2, Jane being number 1 of course. Jane had a sadistic streak whereas Alec was just plain annoying.

"Don't worry though, I've prepared in advance this time and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. After all, they're only ten. What harm could come from some ten-year olds?"

"The same harm that could come from some nine-year olds and eight-year olds and seven-year…"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Rose laughed. "But this year, we have more important issues at hand. Plus her majesty is here. We have more reason to worry about her than we do the devil twins." I felt my jaw drop open. 'Her Majesty' as Rose and I called her, was Lauren Mallory, the daughter of Mr Mallory, the owner of the timeshare. Every now and then, she would come for a visit and if she came on your week, you were most unfortunate. The first time she came, she worshipped the ground Rosalie walked on, but as soon as she found out that Rose liked me better, she became evil. Extremely evil.

"Why can't I have just one perfect year?" I moaned, burying my head in my hands.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry…"

"But knowing Lauren, she'll be all over the Cullen brothers!"

"Not if we get there first!" Rosalie smirked and winked at me, holding up her hand. I high-fived it.

"Not if we get there first…" I agreed and grinned at her.

**There you go, now please please review! :D**

**Harpz xx**


	3. Operation Cullen

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight…

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight….but I do own Uley xD Ok I don't own Uley either... sobs

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! I've got a very long chapter for you (in my opinion anyway, took me ages to write) so make sure you PLEASE review at the end! Kthx**

Chapter 3 - Operation Cullen

I woke up with the sun streaming through my bedroom windows, and the smell of waffles, wafting up the staircase. I yawned, stretching out my arms and legs then jumped out of bed and ran to the window. It was so peaceful. And then of course there was the smell of manure. I love the smell o' manure in the mornin'…as Rose and I put it anyway.

The swimming pool sparkled under the sunlight and a few of the residents were heading down to the lake to go fishing or to feed the ducks. This reminded me of the reason why this morning was so much better than any other morning. Rose and I had put together a detailed plan of exactly how we were going to catch the attention of the Cullens, whilst carrying out revenge on the devil twins and avoiding 'Her Majesty' at the same time. We were going to go for a jog through the village first and then go for a swim in the indoor pool, where we would further discuss our tactics. I rummaged through my suitcase for my jogging bottoms and slipped on an old T-shirt, wrapping a hoodie around my waist.

I then ran downstairs and found Renée buttering some toast while Charlie sipped his tea in front of the TV, hidden under the local newspaper.

"Morning mum, morning dad!" I skipped into the kitchen and picked up a bowl from the cupboard, pouring in some Shreddies.

"Morning Bella," Renée eyed me suspiciously. "You seem to be oddly chipper today."

"Oh, I just can't wait to go out! Rose and I are going for a jog and we're going swimming after that."

"Well, you girls have fun then." Renée sat on the sofa next to Charlie. I gulped down the cereal as fast as I could, settling down on the breakfast bar.

"So what are you and dad doing today?" I asked my parents, hoping they wouldn't get too downhearted about their lack of involvement in my plans.

"Well Tom, Carlisle and I are going fishing." Charlie smiled.

"Carlisle?"

"Carlisle Cullen, yes. He's our new next-door neighbour."

"Oh," I shrugged indifferently. Why did my dad always have to be so sociable? The next I'd know would be…

"They've invited us to dinner tonight, by the way." So predictable! I bit my lip and scooped my bowl clean.

"Can Rose come?" I asked tentatively.

"Oh they've invited the Hales down too, she'll be there." I immediately relaxed. There was no way Rose was going to let me go without her and there was no way _I_ would go without Rose. I dumped my bowl in the sink and slipped on my trainers, putting my ponytail into place under a cap.

"I'm going now mum!" I called from the doorway. "Have fun fishing dad!" I added, then darted off towards the Hales' cottage before they could find some reason to call me back. Rosalie was already waiting for me outside the door.

"Hey Rose!" I smiled. Only she could wear simple joggers and still look like a model.

"Hey Bella!" She gave me a quick hug and we made our way down the winding gravel driveway at a slow pace. "So how far do you want to go?"

"Not too far, I want to stay close to the resort," I admitted.

"Yeah, same here. I saw Emmett this morning…" She grinned.

"Really? Where?"

"He was running around by the lake." Rose sighed. I smacked her playfully round the shoulder

"So…tell me the rest of your super plan, then! We got cut off last night. Where were we? Oh yeah, we dump the twins on Lauren." We decided that was the best way of avoiding both of them. I doubted Lauren would get five minutes alone with those kids.

"Ah yes, she can't say no, you see. Her father's all into pleasing the guests and if we ask him, she can't refuse. So with Lauren and the devil twins completely out of the way, we can concentrate on Operation Cullen. We have to find out what they like doing best and pretend we have the same interests as them, conveniently turning up where they do as if it's what we've been doing all our lives. Plus, I'm going to get Jazz to become friends with them, so we can use him as our alibi. You know, say we're going to see Jazz whenever he happens to be with them."

"Sounds great, but how exactly are you going to get Jazz to hang out with them? He keeps to himself a lot."

"No problem, he's already spoken to them. They met up at snooker last night, Jazz went with dad and Carlisle was playing with them. Edward and Emmett turned up later on and they had a game each with Jazz."

"Wow, who won?"

"Jazz won against Emmett but Edward beat him, just."

"But I thought Jazz was like the best in your area?"

"Yep, that's why they've already got talking. Jazz won't let this one go."

"Maybe this will work out better than we hoped then." I smiled as we rested awhile by the village shop.

"That it will!" Rose grinned. "Do you want to get something from the shop?"

"Nah, we should be getting back. This is the limit for me."

"Me too!" She laughed. "Race you back…"

"Oh no, please. You can thrash me!"

"Come on Bells, we'll get back quicker…" I pondered this for a moment and then sighed, defeated.

"First one back to the castle gates?"

"Sure!" And with that she sprinted off, with me close behind.

We made it back almost tied but me being me, I had to slip up at the end so Rose won, naturally, and helped me up.

"You sure you're up for a swim?" She teased.

"This is me you're talking to, Rose. How can I not be up for a swim?"

* * *

I wasn't quite ready to swim so Rose and I decided to unwind for a bit in the Jacuzzi. We were just about to go into the main pool when we heard the door opening.

"You didn't call for company did you?" Rose whispered to me.

"Nope…" Just then a small girl walked in. She had short jet-black hair that jutted out at her chin and cute pixie-like features. Funny, I hadn't seen her here before. No doubt I would've remembered her.

"Oops, sorry, I'll just…uh…go…." She bit her lip and turned for the door.

"Oh you don't have to, come join us." I smiled encouragingly and her face lit up.

"Really? I don't want to intrude or anything." She asked tentatively.

"Intrude? We love company, don't we Bella?" Rose gestured for her to come over.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in!" I grinned at her again as I saw how happy she looked at our invitation. She was already wearing her swimming costume so she slipped into the Jacuzzi beside me.

"I'm Alice by the way, this is my first year here."

"Nice to meet you Alice. I'm Rosalie, but you can just call me Rose, and this is Bella." Rose introduced us. "So whereabouts are you staying?"

"Number twelve, one of the cottages." Rose and I looked at each other, eyes wide.

"What's your surname?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Cullen." Alice smiled. Of course! This was Edward's sister! I'd heard he had a sister in my year but she attended a different school.

"So you're Carlisle's daughter?" Rose questioned.

"Yeah, you know my dad?"

"Well, my father and Bella's father met him yesterday, I think they played snooker together."

"Charlie Swan and Thomas Hale?"

"Yeah, I'm Charlie's daughter and Rose is Tom's daughter." I said, I didn't want Rose to do all the talking.

"Oh, you're the one in year 10 as well, right?" Alice turned towards me.

"Yeah, that's me." I smiled.

"Cool, so how long have you guys been coming here?"

"This is our 15th year I think…." Rose replied.

"Wow, you guys will have to show me around then!" Alice laughed.

"Sure, it's nice to find another sane person round here." I joked.

"Friends, yay!" Alice clapped her hands and we all laughed this time.

We stayed in the Jacuzzi for a little while longer, informing Alice about the devil twins and warning her about Lauren. Rose and I had both learned a lot about her and had also discovered how incredibly hyper she was. We then went for a swim, shivering as we stepped into the cold pool beside us. Rose challenged us to a few more races, there was no end to her athletic talent, and by the time we were done, it was as if we'd known Alice all our lives and she seemed to warm up to us almost immediately. She was all for our revenge plans but of course, we never told her about our other plans, the ones that happened to involve her brothers. That would be way too awkward.

"So is your brother the one that almost beat Edward last night?" Alice asked Rose as we walked around the golf course after our swim.

"Yeah, that's Jasper." Rose answered. "I haven't ever heard of anyone beating him before."

"Same with Edward, no one even gets a look in when he plays. He was pretty impressed by Jasper. Looks like he finally met his match."

"Oh that he has, Jasper won't let this go until he beats Edward. Knowing Jazz, he'd probably be practicing right now." Rose chuckled.

"Hey! I'm not that much of saddo!" We swivelled round and found Jasper running up to us. I could swear I heard Alice catch her breath. "Oh, who's your friend?" Jasper asked, smiling down at Alice.

"This is Alice Cullen," I replied. "Edward and Emmett's sister."

"They never mentioned they had a sister," Jasper mused. Then he added, almost inaudibly, "And such a pretty one at that." Alice didn't seem to react to that so I supposed that only I must have heard it, standing closest to him. "Nice to meet you Alice." Jasper held out his hand. Alice shook it.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm guessing you're Jasper?"

"Yeah, just call me Jazz. So how are your brothers anyway? All geared up for our tournament?"

"What tournament?" I asked.

"Oh just a sports thing. We're getting through as many games as we can to see who's better at what. We're having a football match first."

"Let me guess, this was Emmett's idea?" Alice questioned.

"Yep." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Figures…He hates losing…" I saw Rose smile from the corner of my eye.

"Well, I'd better be off then. See you around some time, Alice." Jasper waved goodbye and ran off towards the castle. I noticed Alice staring after him in awe.

"Looks like someone's made an impression on you!" I nudged her teasingly.

"Don't be silly, Bella." She muttered.

"You certainly made an impression on him." Rose mused, and then winked at me. It didn't take me long to figure out what she was thinking about. We could use Alice and Jasper's presumed fondness to our own advantage, that way, we would all benefit.

"You guys wanna go eat?" Alice asked, conspicuously changing the subject.

"Sure, how about my place? Dad's gone fishing and mum's probably at Rose's." I suggested. Renée and Amy probably had a lot to catch up on so no one would think of coming round ours.

"Cool, let's go!"

I micro-waved some Pizza for us all and we settled down on the dining table and chatted animatedly about various things. Rose had to go to the bathroom at one point and Alice used this opportunity to bring up a subject I hadn't been counting on.

"I've heard your name somewhere before, Bella Swan," She began. "But where? I don't know you do I?"

"Not that I remember…" I answered carefully.

"What school do you go to?"

"Erm…it's a grammar school in Rochester. I doubt you've heard of it."

"I'm from Rochester!" Alice exclaimed. "Wait a second…is it the one off Garrett Avenue?"

"Err….yes…" I whispered.

"The one Edward goes to," Alice breathed.

"Yes…"

"Oh. My. Gosh! You're the one who fancies Edward!" Alice grinned. I all but choked on the mouthful of pizza I had just bitten. "I knew I'd heard of you! Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" Alice winked at me.

"It's not really much of a secret. Then again, which girl in my school _doesn't_ fancy Edward?"

"Suppose. So have you seen him?"

"She's done more than that." Rose smiled, coming out from the bathroom. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop. It's just that Alice's revelation was too loud _not_ to hear."

"You know about this too?" Alice asked. Who doesn't?

"Of course I do, Bella told me the moment she saw him." I pretended to be too immersed in my pizza to take notice of the embarrassing conversation.

"So what do you mean she's done more than that?" Alice perked up, completely interested.

"Bella?" Rose looked at me questioningly.

"Why not? Alice is kinda part of the gang now." Alice smiled at that.

Rose then commenced with telling the rest of the story, about how I reacted when I saw him last night and Alice seemed to find it just as funny as Rose had had. Why was my life the one that always had to be mocked? Was it such a comedy?

"Aah, that is sooo sweet!" Alice squealed after listening to Rose's perfect recount of my experience. "So he walked you home?"

"It was hardly a walk," I sighed. "He just helped me down the one metre slope to the door…big deal!"

"But it so is! So Edward was embarrassed when he saw you right?"

"Not exactly, he just seemed unsure of what to say."

"That's what I'm talking about! Edward Cullen – lost for words! Ha! That's a first! If you were any other girl Bella, he would've just said sorry, picked up his ball and left. Not only did he stay and talk to you, but he completely over reactively freaked out when you fainted and then he walked you home! Bella, this _is_ a big deal!"

"Oh come on, anyone would freak out if someone fainted right in front of them."

"Yeah, but not Edward. He always plays it cool. And he only does that 'pinching his nose thing' when he's really stressed or worried. Plus, any other person would just have run off or called for help immediately. He stayed with you Bella and had a complete panic attack!" Alice was on her feet now, jumping up and down. "We have so gotta get you two together!" She looked over at Rose and grinned toothily.

"Don't be so ridiculous…" I mumbled.

"Hey! How come she gets it so easily?" Rose put her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked her.

"Why don't I get my Prince Charming too?"

"I'm not following…"

"Tell her Rose…" I winked at her.

"Tell me what?" Alice eyed Rose suspiciously.

"Nothing…"

"Rose?" Alice tapped her foot impatiently.

"I'll tell her if you like?" I suggested.

"Fine!" Rose slumped down on the sofa.

"What's going on?" Alice looked at me.

"Rose has a crush on Emmett." I held my breath, waiting for her reaction. How would she feel that both of her friends had a crush on her brothers? But Alice's reaction surprised me. She started bouncing up and down on her chair and clapped her hands.

"Oh my god oh my god oh my god! This is sooo perfect!! Ha!" I narrowed my eyes at her, questioning her sanity. She finally explained after calming down considerably. "If you guys do me a favour, I'll sort it for you."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, sitting up.

"Do you think you could…well…I…I think I like Jasper."

I felt the smile creep across my face and looked back at Rose who was smirking.

"I think he likes you too." She replied, grinning madly. "Consider it a done deal."

"Awesome!"

For the next few hours, we generally hung out and we told Alice _everything_ and she answered some questions of our own. This was going to be so much better than we thought. With Alice on our side, Lauren wouldn't get a look-in and to be honest, playing matchmaker ourselves would be quite fun too.

"Speak of the devil…" I muttered as a blonde girl appeared out of the castle doorway. She was plastered in make-up and was wearing the shortest tartan skirt possible with a flaunty shirt, top few buttons undone.

"…And the devil shall appear." Rose finished, edging closer to me.

"Lauren…" I whispered to Alice who was now wedged between Rose and I. She nodded understandingly.

"Rosalie darling!" Lauren gave her a sickly sweet smile and then turned reluctantly towards me. "Isabella." Lauren had a horribly high-pitched posh voice, which looked completely out of place with the clothes she was wearing. We nodded at her in acknowledgement.

"Lauren." Rose sighed.

"Well isn't this a surprise! It's been years! Oh, and I see you've acquainted yourselves with our newest resident. Alice Cullen, I take it?"

"Yes…" Alice replied indifferently. I could tell Lauren hadn't made the best of impressions on her already. "Hideous fashion sense!" She whispered to me, scowling. I stifled a giggle.

"And where are your brothers?" Lauren asked her. So her majesty knew about them already. I should've known she would have found out before us all.

"I dunno…probably playing with Jasper somewhere." Alice shrugged.

"Isn't that simply adorable!" Lauren bounded towards us, making us all a little uncomfortable. "Well I've been just dying to see you all! Perhaps you three and your brothers could come down to the croquet lawn sometime and we could all get to know each other a little better? What do you say?" I didn't miss the way she directed the question towards Rose and Alice, completely ignoring me as usual.

"We'll think about it," Alice replied bluntly. "We're going to be very busy."

"Of course," Lauren's grace had considerably worn off. I didn't think she expected Alice to turn her down like that, Rose and I sure, but not Alice. "Do see if you can take some time out of your busy schedule. Pass that on to your brothers as well." Lauren stepped back to look at us all. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"_We_ will, yes." I answered, a little miffed by her obvious ignorance of my presence.

"Good. See you girls around then." She smiled sweetly and scowled in my direction. I smiled back. "Nice outfit by the way," Lauren looked at Alice's designer ensemble.

"Thanks. Nice belt," Alice smirked. Lauren glared at us and walked off, swaying her hips and trying to look what she considered was _sexy_. As soon as she was out of sight, we all high-fived each other and burst out laughing. "What a div!" Alice chuckled. "That outfit was so out of season, in fact, I don't think it ever was _in_ season. I don't like her already. And the way she was ignoring you Bella!"

"Oh, the feeling's completely mutual. I don't have to pretend to like her."

"Ugh! I hate the way she calls me _darling_!" Rose muttered. "I can't believe she still thinks that I like her!"

"Revenge is going to be sweet," I smiled.

"Sweet indeed." Rose agreed.

* * *

"Here goes nothing!" Rose whispered to me as we knocked on the Cullen's door. Our parents had already arrived at dinner and Rose and I wanted to be fashionably late. We didn't want to look too eager or anything and to be honest, we were completely petrified. Jasper had also decided to tag along with us, probably for the same reason. Rose hadn't exaggerated about how much he had taken to Alice. He was fussing about what to wear all evening, which is something Jasper never does, and had even worn Tom's expensive cologne.

"Hey guys!" Alice squealed as she opened the door. Rose and I sighed in relief as Jasper straightened up.

"Hi Alice!" I greeted her with a hug and Jasper handed her a bouquet of flowers, claiming it was for Esme, but we all knew the truth. Alice accepted it gratefully and led us all into the dining room-lounge. Renée and Charlie were sitting opposite Tom and Amy on the dining table and Carlisle sat at the head. Esme was pulling out a casserole dish from the oven.

"Hi girls," She smiled at us. "Hello again, Jasper."

"Hello Mrs Cullen." We replied and handed her a box of chocolates while Alice arranged the flowers in a vase.

"I'm afraid the table is only big enough for six so you kids won't mind sitting on the sofas, will you?" I glanced at the lounge area where Emmett was dominating a green armchair and Edward was looking up at us from a two-seater. Their lounge was identical to ours.

"No problem," Jasper assured her as he did some weird handshake with Edward and sat down next to him. Alice led us to a larger sofa by the patio windows and the three of us sat down there, me wedged in the middle. Rose flicked her hair back and introduced herself to Emmett, trying to look as mature as possible. Emmett seemed just as entranced by her appearance as everyone else would be, if not more and was completely absorbed by her endless chatter. Edward smiled and said 'hi' at first and I timidly replied but then Jasper and Edward seemed deep in conversation about something so Alice turned to me.

"Good so far." She muttered conspiratorially.

"Yeah, Emmett and Rose seem to be getting on famously." I whispered back.

"You don't say! I've never seen him concentrate this long on anything before the topic of food or something takes over. He's completely transfixed."

"Have you noticed something about Jasper?"

"That he's absolutely drop dead gorgeous! What else?" She sighed, tilting her head back slightly to look at him.

"He's combed his hair and he used one of Tom's most expensive colognes tonight. He's not usually into his appearance or anything but this evening, he's been more self-conscious than Rosalie!" I chuckled while Rose shot a glare in my direction and then turned back to Emmett.

"Really?" Alice asked incredulously. I nodded and she squealed, a little too loudly. Edward and Jasper looked at us for a second and then continued with whatever they were talking about.

"Jasper's not the only one who's got dressed up." Alice began about a minute later.

"What do you mean?"

"Edward's been a complete perfectionist, making sure everything's in place. He even rearranged the sofas until they were at the 'right angles.' And, he's wearing his best clothes. I heard him talking to Emmett before you came and I'm pretty sure they mentioned you."

"Nah, you're reading into this too much." I glanced nervously in Edward's direction. Why did he need to dress up? Didn't he look good enough already?

"I don't think I am. I know everything that goes on in the family and this is no ordinary behaviour. I doubt he's trying to impress your parents and he's only just met Rose so what do you think is the most probable explanation?" Alice winked. I shunned the thought before I could get my hopes up.

"Let's not jump to conclusions okay. I'm not in the mood to embarrass myself further." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Fine, fine. We'll do it your way, but I bet you anything I'm right and if you're clever then you won't bet against me."

"Whatever…"

"Edward dear, could you set out the tables?" Esme called from the kitchen.

"Sure, mum." He replied and pulled out two small tables from the side of the room. He set one in front of us three and another in front of him and Jasper. Emmett said he preferred to eat on his lap. Esme brought some plates and cutlery for us and placed a jug of water on each table. The adults had already begun eating and were all reminiscing about previous years in Uley and suggesting some hiking trails Carlisle should try and so on and so forth.

"Ooh smells nice," Emmett sniffed as Esme cut a portion of lasagne for each of us.

"Remember your manners, dear." Esme whispered as she handed Emmett his and then joined the adults at the other end of the table, facing Carlisle.

"I must say Esme, this is exquisite!" Charlie praised as he reached over for seconds.

"Indeed, you must give us the recipe. What's in this? I trust something rare. Octopus, perhaps?" Amy asked.

"Aubergine, actually." Esme smiled. "We're all vegetarians."

"Oh," Amy responded. "I see."

The lasagne really was amazing. Emmett probably ended up eating the capacity of a large tanke to himself and I had thirds. While we ate, we all talked, though Edward and Jasper seemed to be discussing something among them every now and then. I even managed to discover a new kind of confidence in myself and brought up a few old Uley stories that made everyone laugh.

"Oh and once…" I began. "Jasper took us to play golf. I think it was about five years ago. Jazz was boasting about being a teenager and how he was so much better skilled than the rest of us and half way through we decided to play truth or dare…"

"Oh my god, I love that one!" Rose squealed. "Don't miss anything!"

"No, Bella! Don't! Not that one!" Jasper looked at me wide-eyes and I smiled back evilly.

"…so the dares started out fairly basic and Rose and I found it much more fun this way. Next, it was Jasper's turn and we thought long and hard about what we were going to dare him to do. So we dared him to run up to the seagulls and scream 'shun the non-believers' and then go up to the elderly couple that were sitting by the lake and baptise them. We dressed him up as a nun and gave him some lemonade, because that's all we had, to use as holy water. He did the first part alright except he caught the attention of one of the farm dogs that had sneaked through the gates. Now, Jasper is terrified of dogs! He begged us not to make him do the next bit but obviously we didn't feel merciful after what he made us do, so he had to do it anyway. The elderly couple were really freaked out and the old lady even started shaking her walking stick at him angrily. But Jasper had to complete the dare so he brought out the lemonade.

"However, the farm dog had already become wary by then so he began to stalk Jasper. Jazz got so scared that he ended up throwing the lemonade all over the dog so the dog chased him and Jazz tripped up into the lake. He had a cold for the rest of the week and he's been traumatised ever since." I smirked at Jasper as everyone erupted into laughter, even though they'd been chuckling all throughout at Jasper's horrified expressions.

"And even now he gets nightmares!" Rose added. "We all got woken up once by his screaming and when we went into his bedroom, he was rolling around shouting, 'nice doggy, nice doggy!" Jasper buried his head into the pillow and we all laughed even more.

"Aww that's so cute!" Alice consoled him. Jasper looked up shyly and they stared into each other's eyes for a bit.

"Err, any of you up for dessert?" Esme asked. There was a chorus of 'yes' and she brought us some bowls of apple pie.

"Actually, do you guys wanna sit out on the balcony?" Edward asked. "It's not so warm out there and there's a bigger table."

"Sure! Great idea, man!" Emmett smiled and we all stepped out into the cool night air. The table outside was round and the balcony overlooked the woods surrounding the long driveway. Rose sat down next to Emmett, with Jasper on the other side. Alice sat by Jasper and I was a little surprised when Edward sat down next to me.

"So…you finally believe all this is real?" Edward whispered to me, smirking.

"It was a perfectly normal reaction." I scowled at him. "Plus, I'd been sleeping just before you came so I could've been dreaming."

"Suppose." He smiled, making me blush a little. I figured that since I'd embarrassed myself to the limit last night, there was nothing I could do in front of Edward now, that could embarrass me any more. So, after a little prep talk from Rose and a little thinking time of my own, I'd gotten over my 'fear' of being in the presence of Edward Cullen. Of course a small blush would escape here and there but overall, I was in control of myself. "So, what have you been up to so far?" He asked.

"Well, Rose and I went for a jog through the village this morning. Then we had a swim – that's when we met Alice- and we've hung out pretty much all day. What about you?"

"Having a little tournament with Jasper."

"Oh yeah, he told us about that. How'd it go?"

"Well apart from the fact that Emmett splintered a cricket bat, punctured three balls, smashed up the dart board and almost snapped the mini-air hockey disc, pretty good I'd say. Oh, and he destroyed a whole tube of ping pong balls." Edward shook his head and I laughed.

"So who won what?"

"Jasper won table tennis. Cricket was pretty much even; Emmett has a powerful hit, I run fast and Jasper plans well so he can pick out the perfect spots. I won darts and air-hockey. And in football we just messed about really. It was fun though!" Edward smiled that brilliant crooked smile of his and I couldn't help but smile back.

The rest of the evening went past swiftly and Edward and I got to know quite a bit about each other. He didn't mention the whole crush thing when we were talking about school and overall, he was a complete gentlemen. Things were going well with the others as well. Jasper and Alice had a kind of date the next morning, well he was taking her to Dursley so she could go shopping, and Emmett and Rosalie finished the night with a kiss on the cheek. Our fathers had gone off to play snooker again and our mothers were conversing about cooking recipes so Edward offered to walk me home. I reminded him that it was just next-door but he wouldn't take no for an answer and said he needed some air anyway. As if he hadn't got enough out on the balcony! But then again, I was definitely more than pleased.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Edward asked me as I unlocked the door. "They probably won't be back for a while."

"You worry too much, Edward! I'm sure I'll cope!"

"I could stay with you if you want." He persisted. That sounded good.

"Charlie would just _love_ that! Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"'Kay," He smiled, knocking the breath out of me again. "'Night Bella."

"Goodnight Edward," I whispered.

**That was the longest chapter I've ever written lol! I thought I'd leave you with something long because I'm heading off to Uley for a bit (seriously) and then school starts so it may be a couple of weeks until I update again, but you never know! If I get the chance to post a smallish one some time this week then I definitely will :D Now please please review! If I get loads of reviews for this chapter then I'll see if I can find a way to update sooner. So please review!! Oh and if you get a chance, then check out my other story Bart's academy. Kthx**

**Harpz**

**xx**


	4. Definitely not a big deal

**Hey! I've finally had a chance to come back to my stories!!! So here's the next chapter for you :D Please please review, reviews completely make my day xD So review people! Ok on with the story....**

Chapter 4

The next morning I woke up bright and early, well and truly refreshed. Last night felt like a dream, an amazingly perfect dream and I was adamant not to let another day go to waste. After carrying out my normal morning routines I decided to meet up with Rose for a bit so I could get as much information about last night out of her as possible. Rose and Emmett had disappeared fairly quickly after dinner so I was eager to know all the juicy details.

I knocked on the Hales' door, barely able to conceal my excitement. The moment Rose let me in, I flung my arms around her and jumped up and down squealing.

"You're in a good mood," She smiled.

"How can I _not_ be!? Last night was amazing...incredible...simply marvellous!" Rose looked at me for a moment as if I'd lost my mind. Why wasn't she over the moon too? She ushered me outside of the cottage and shut the door behind her carefully.

"I KNOW!!" She screamed. So she was over the moon after all!

"Rosalie?" Amy's voice came from the kitchen window. "Do keep it down dear!"

"Sorry mum," Rose bit her lip. "Let's go somewhere a little more...confined." We decided to go for a little stroll up to the castle, it was usually quiet enough at this time of the morning and the rooms were so spread apart that no one would know we were even there.

"So?" I began, as we crept into the main lounge and slumped down on the chaise loungers. "Spill woman! I want to know _everything_!" Rose chuckled and sighed.

"Where do you want me to begin?"

"When you left the Cullens' house."

"Ok, well basically Emmett asked me if I wanted to...err....play...err...table football."

"Sure, because that's _really_ romantic," I giggled.

"Hey! So the guy doesn't know how to be romantic, that's hardly his fault," She sighed yet again. "But his face...he seemed so enthusiastic about it. I couldn't say no could I? Those puppy dog eyes..."

"'Kay 'kay, I get it. You find him adorable. What happened next?"

"We went to play table football," Rose said, confused.

"And?" I urged.

"Well that's it really. I let him win obviously, I didn't want to undermine his _masculinity_," Rose laughed. "I could've beaten him easily of course, but I couldn't let him down."

"So what happened after that? Did he walk you home?"

"No...not really. He had to go get something from the castle. But he did...kiss me..." I felt my eyes bulge.

"He what!?"

"...on the cheek mind."

"That's great Rose! Two kisses in one night!"

"It's nothing really," Rose blushed. I looked at her incredulously. "Ok, maybe it is! I hit the jackpot, man!" We both laughed for a bit and then Rose demanded a detailed version of my night. I sighed deeply and stared into space dreamily.

"Not much happened really," I admitted. "It was just the things he said."

"Like?"

"Well he demanded to walk me home for a first."

"But you live next door," Rose puzzled.

"Exactly." I smirked. Rose raised her eyebrows at me suggestively.

"And?"

"Rose, it wasn't like that."

"'Course it wasn't," She winked. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Ok so then, he offered to stay with me until my parents got back."

"Yep, because that's completely normal..." Rose cut in.

"Shuddup," I blushed. "He was just being a gentleman."

"If you say so."

"I do."

"Ookk then." Rose said sarcastically.

"Rose I'm serious! Don't read too much into this. I hate getting my hopes up."

"'Kay, sorry," Rose smiled. "But he obviously cares about you Bella, don't let this one go too easily."

"I don't intend to," I admitted. "Like I said though, I don't want you guys embarrassing me to the point of suicide or anything. It's not like I don't get enough of it at school."

"I know Bella, I'm only messing with you." She grinned. "Just think things through carefully beforehand. There's a lot of things to consider. I'm not going to interfere."

"Good." I smiled. We both slumped further down into our chaises and wallowed in our own thoughts awhile. Rose had definitely brought up some things for me to think about. How far was I willing to take this? How prepared was I for the possibility of getting hurt in the process? Would I be able to deal with it if things ended badly? I figured not. I was too caught up in a dream world when he was with me to think coherently. I dared to hope. Could that hope destroy me? It was too early in the morning to linger on such matters so I decided to concentrate on the situation at hand. It was summer and I was going to enjoy myself. I'd deal with everything else where and when the time came. After all, I really wasn't going to let this one go too easily.

"Badminton?" Rose suggested.

"Sure," I nodded. This was too early in the morning for Rose too. I'm sure she was facing the same dilemmas as me, if not more. She was looking at a long-distance relationship. I was just dealing with the thought of public humiliation when I got back to school. _The horrors of school eh?_ I thought happily to myself as we collected the Badminton rackets and shuttlecocks from the Sports store cupboard.

* * *

"Ha! I win again!" Rose squealed as she thrashed me for the fifth time and we'd only been playing for half an hour.

"Ah Rose, I'm dying here!" I wheezed, desperately in need of water. "Five minutes break? Please?"

"Fine," Rose rolled her eyes. "You're such a twig, Bella. We need to build up some muscles in you!" She laughed, letting my arm flap back down. Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Rose, you forgot to lock...."

"Oh hey Bella!" Edward grinned at me, peeking through the doorway. He was dressed in a plain old tracksuit yet he could still pass as a professional sportsman. Typical...

"Edward...." I whispered, unable to trust my voice. Just then Emmett burst into the court behind him, his loud footsteps echoing thunderously in the concrete building.

"Rose!" He exclaimed as he set eyes on her. "What a surprise!"

"Hey Emmett," She smiled. "Do you guys want to join us?" I shot Rose a dark glare.

"Sure," Emmett boomed. "Doubles, right?"

"Yep, if you want," Rose smirked at me.

"'Kay then, Edward, you go with Bella. I'll go with you Rose, if that's okay?"

"That's fine...yeah," Rose agreed subtly. Edward grabbed a racket and started warming up with Emmett. I hung my head in shame. This was going to be _disastrous_! I was the worst badminton player in the history of the sport. How could Emmett even consider me being a worthy partner of Edward Cullen – _the_ sports superstar!? I was an utter klutz and I was about to mess everything up, most probably deeply embarrassing myself in the process. I contemplated faking a leg injury or something to get myself out of it but the moment I saw Edward I was in that trance again. The trance where I was in my own world; I could see and think of nothing but Edward. I even forgot my own thirst. I was going to play no matter what, any time with Edward was better than no time at all. Even if I did humiliate myself. I breathed in deeply and took a swig from my water bottle. Edward and Emmett were practicing for a little bit while Rose and I went to the side to have our pre-organised break.

"You girls ready?" Emmett asked, preparing to play for serve.

"Uh huh," I mumbled, taking my place next to Edward. I made sure I was dead in the middle of my half of the court to avoid any unintended floating towards his half. If I wasn't careful, I'd lost track of the game completely; not that I wasn't happy to, it's just that I couldn't let him down. I reasoned that that was the most accurate explanation. My urge to play well wasn't to impress him at all, I just didn't want to let him down.

"Threes time over the net remember," Edward called to Emmett. "From then on, we play for serve."

"Cool, prepare to lose little brother." Emmett teased.

"In your dreams," Edward rolled his eyes. Emmett lifted his racket and hit the shuttlecock over the net. One. Edward tapped it back. Two. Emmett slipped it over the net.

"Three!" Edward smiled. Game on. Edward kept the first few shots fairly low until Emmett accidentally hit it into the air. Edward jumped up and slammed it down leaving a bewildered Rosalie clutching her racket with both hands fearfully.

"You can serve," Edward told Emmett. Emmett couldn't read into Edward's tactics so he grinned and passed the shuttlecock to Rose. The person on the right always served first. She was serving to Edward.

"Ready?" She asked him.

"Ready," He replied.

Rose hit the shuttlecock to the far edge of Edward's half. He slid to the side and hit it back with complete ease. She then purposely turned on me. The racket trembled in my hand. _Here goes nothing._ Smack! The shuttlecock catapulted over the net, slipping through Emmett's frantic hands. I'd done it!

"Service over," Edward grinned, "Well done Bella!" He patted me on the back playfully and smirked at Emmett's horrified expression. I jerked at his cool touch. Edward Cullen had just patted me on the back! I screamed internally.

"Second serve!" Emmett protested.

"'Fraid not, _big _brother," Edward grinned again. "You only get one serve on the first go."

"B-but...."

"My serve, Em." Emmett gave up and tossed the shuttlecock to Edward. Edward served perfectly; Rose was too astounded to hit back the shot, giving us a 1-luv lead automatically. Edward moved across the court fluidly, returning everything Rose and Emmett could throw at him; ten minutes into the game and we were already winning 8-luv, well _Edward_ was winning anyway. He seemed to be doing all the work. I tried my best to hit the shuttlecock wherever possible but I figured Edward could hit it back better than I could so I decided to leave it. However, the game wasn't going completely to plan. Rose figured that our weak point was up close to the net where Edward wouldn't be able to go for it. They began to play on this weakness, me, and soon enough they had won back the serve. From there their points rocketed. Edward had caught onto this fact but Emmett ensured he couldn't do anything about it by sending the shuttlecock flying to the back of the court as soon as Edward considered moving forward. We were still winning, but only just. The score was 12-14 and Edward had finally won back our serve. This was it. Game point. Unfortunately, I was on the right side and it was my turn to serve. _Please don't mess this up Bella! _I thought to myself.

"Take your time, Bella." Edward whispered encouragingly. "You can do it." I took a deep breath and tried to avoid Emmett's grin. He was making funny faces at me to try to distract me. At one point he stuck his finger up his nostril; it took everything for me not to burst out in laughter. I concentrated on his feet and served. Emmett managed to get it back easily enough but at least it was in the right half. The game began again as Rose tried to keep Edward towards the back of the court. I managed to hit it back every now and then but the only Edward could reach the higher ones. Suddenly, Emmett flicked it gently over the net. Edward was too far back to reach it and I heard his sharp intake of breath as he realised the only option left was for me to go for it. Either that or lose our game point. I lunged and angled my racket upwards. Closing my eyes, I flipped it and braced myself as the shuttlecock made impact. I blinked a few times and smiled triumphantly as it made it over the net. Emmett was quick too however and he managed to get it back. I knew this would continue indefinitely if someone didn't make a move soon. The shuttlecock bounced over the net, sometimes on our side, sometimes on theirs. And then an idea occurred to me. I'd seen the way Edward had slammed the shuttlecock down when Emmett or Rose had hit it too high. At the rate we were going, the shuttlecock would soon be high enough for Emmett to slam it down on me. Not if I did it first. I took my chances and smashed it down diagonally, missing Emmett by an inch and bouncing around on the floor. I'd done it!

"WE WON!" I squealed, subconsciously pulling an overjoyed Edward into a hug. "HA! That was the first game I have ever won anything in my life!"

"Believe it or not, that's actually true," Rose giggled. The sound of her voice brought me back into reality. I had just flung myself at Edward Cullen. I pulled away immediately, biting my lip so hard I thought it would bleed.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I looked up slowly, awaiting Edward's response. I hope he wouldn't be too mad at me. But his reaction startled me. He burst out laughing and pulled me into a hug this time.

"Bella we won! What's there to be sorry about?" He smiled at me crookedly, taking my breath away in the process, not that I wasn't hyperventilating as it was. "And it was all thanks to you!"

"Hey, you did most of the work," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Nah, couldn't have done it without you," He winked and strode off to rub it in Emmett's face. Rose came rushing up to me immediately and stared at me wide-eyed.

"What?" I mumbled, taking the water bottle she was about to hand to me before she froze.

"Now don't you dare tell me that wasn't a big deal!"

**Ok there it is :D Please please review! **

**H x**


	5. Alice's genius

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Edward....

**Meh i'm so sorry for taking so long. Mainly because of exams yet again....school sucks :p Well anyway, here's the next one!! Read and review :D**

Alice's genius

It had seemed a perfectly good idea at the time. Going for a walk through the woods with the Cullens and Hales was a great way to spend more time with Edward and seeing as he was the one had suggested it, I could hardly refuse now could I? To be honest, he could have asked me to go play in the traffic and I'd be so dazed in his presence I'd agree. But right now I completely regretted my decision. Edward grinned at the horrified expression on my face as I stared at the steep hill we were about to climb. At least Alice and Jasper had got back in time. I'm sure she'd hate this as much as I would. The trail was small, windy and covered in rocks. Moreover, it was damp and muddy, just one of the many disadvantages of staying in a place this green.

"Edward Cullen, if you think you're going to get me up that hill, you can think again!" Alice placed her hands on her hips and glared at Edward. "My clothes are going to get all icky!"

"Well when I told you we were going trekking through the woods, what did you think we were going to do?" Edward retorted. "I did tell you to wear a tracksuit or something."

"A tracksuit!" Alice's eyes bulged. "That's just ridiculous! Do you even _have_ a sense of fashion? Oh wait, let me answer that. No." Edward rolled his eyes at her as she huffed and began trudging up the hill. Damn, I was hoping she'd protest enough so that we wouldn't have to climb up this way. Then I noticed Jasper following behind her, struggling to keep up. Ah. Of course she wouldn't want to give a bad impression. I pursed my lips, hoping that Edward wouldn't notice my reluctance and after earning an encouraging smile from Rosalie, I started up the hill.

It didn't take long for the clumsiness to kick in. I was hoping I'd be able to make it without incident but as usual, fate was trying to trip me up –literally. Every other step was a complete disaster and I stumbled over countless times. At first no one noticed as I tried to stay towards the end of our group but eventually Edward realised why I was lagging further and further behind so he offered me a large stick I could support myself with. I felt ridiculous but at least I didn't trip up so much anymore. We'd reached the top of the hill around ten minutes later and we finally entered the woods. It was much warmer in the woods and eerily silent.

"Ugh!" Rosalie shrieked, stumbling off the side of the trail onto a patch of mud. "I just stepped in some mud!"

"Nicely observed," Jasper grinned.

"It's NOT funny!" Rose scowled at him. "I only bought these trainers last week! I…uh…uh….EEWWWWW!" She stared open-mouthed in shock at the lump of gooey stuff that had just dropped out of the above tree onto her hair and was now dribbling down her shoulder. Alice and I stifled a giggle. Edward bit his lip. Jasper and Emmett burst out laughing. Rose screamed. "GET THIS OFF OF ME NOW!!! EWWW! OH MY GOSH THERE'S SOMETHING IN IT! IT'S MOVING! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Rose jumped up and down still screaming as Emmett immediately ran up to her and attempted to flick the goo off. Rosalie quietened down a bit at his touch but continued screaming when she realised that she was splattering mud all over her trousers. Emmett scooped the rest off with a stick and suggested that Rosalie take off her jacket. She agreed and used a clean sleeve to wipe her hair before tying it around her waist.

"Here take my jacket," Emmett offered his to her. "You'll get cold."

"Err...thanks…" Rose took a deep breath and smiled tentatively, immediately recovering from her outburst.

"Try to stick to the trail," Edward whispered to me, grinning. I smiled back, still amazed at the fact that _he_ was talking to me. Before, at school, I wouldn't even have dreamed that I could ever get this close to him, as a friend if nothing else. His presence still had that strange immobilizing effect on me. I couldn't think straight for the next few minutes. Rosalie had also eased up after a while, allowing Emmett to help her over various logs in the middle of the paths and such. She was perfectly capable of trekking herself obviously; I suppose she just liked the attention from Emmett. I was the one who really needed the help but I also didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Edward so I walked with extra care, avoiding anything that could trip me over wherever possible. Alice skipped along happily beside Jasper who was leading our group and Edward teetered along the very edges of the pathway. Despite the danger of falling into the forested areas hundreds of feet below, he seemed completely at ease. He was so graceful I couldn't help but stare whenever I thought no one was looking. Once, Rosalie caught my eye and winked at me so I concentrated on the path again, sneaking glances up at him whenever I could. My friends back at school would never believe me if I told them that Edward had turned up at Uley with his family. I wondered what their reaction would be when Edward would speak to me in school. At least, I hoped he would. Maybe he'd just ignore me and pretend he never knew me? No. Edward isn't like that. At least that's what I was trying to convince myself. What would be the point of this whole thing if he never spoke to me again?

"Guys be careful now, there's some sinking mud coming up," Jasper called from ahead, pulling me from my train of thought.

"Perfect," Rosalie shuddered and inconspicuously shuffled closer to Emmett. I inspected the surroundings and noticed the muddy patch Jasper had warned us about. It spanned the entirety of the pathway. _Great! _I thought to myself. As if I needed another reason to promote my inability to walk in a straight line! I edged towards the far end of the walkway, near Edward, in an attempt to avoid the mud. Big mistake. I was too busy looking at him to pay any attention to my feet so the next thing I knew, I was face down on the floor, inches away from the sinking sludge.

"Bella!" I heard Edward run over to me. He held out his hand and tried to help me up. "Are you ok?"

"I think....OUCH!" My legs buckled beneath me as I leaned onto my left foot and I was back on the ground. Sharp pain seared through my ankle. "Dammit!" Edward knelt down beside me and examined my foot. By now, the others had all realised why I was so far behind and I could see them running back to join me.

"Oh my gosh! Bella, what happened!?" Rose gasped, concern saturating her voice.

"I think she's sprained her ankle." Edward pursed his lips, and then pointed behind me. "She tripped on that." I looked back and noticed the root of a tree sticking up above the surface of the ground. So that was the culprit.

"There's no way she can walk anymore." Alice bent down. "Looks like we'll just have to head back," She feigned a disappointed expression. Rosalie secretly sighed with relief.

"What a shame..." I joined in with the charade.

"You'll just have to carry her, Edward." Emmett suggested, nudging him in the shoulder. Edward glared at him then looked back at me.

"How much does it hurt?" He asked.

"Right now, a lot. But I could try to walk if you guys still want to go to the top. You shouldn't put it off on my account." I didn't want to make Edward feel uncomfortable by having to carry me. If anything, I was worried more about my sanity if he did.

"Nah, it's no problem. We're not going to force you to walk." Edward rolled his eyes. "Come on, get on my back."

"What?" I gaped at him like an idiot.

"It's the easiest way to carry you." Edward explained.

"Oh right...y-yeah...of c-course..." I stuttered. Rosalie smirked as she helped me up on to Edward's back and I lightly placed my hands around his neck.

"Are you sure, Edward? I'm pretty heavy." I mumbled, trying not to think about who was carrying me.

"Nonsense," Edward chuckled. "You're quite light really. Ready?"

"Mmhmm..." I didn't trust my voice enough to respond coherently. Edward Cullen was carrying me. That was enough to completely occupy my mind. I really needed to stop referring to him as that. _Edward Cullen._ Why couldn't I just accept him as Edward? Maybe because it still seemed so unreal. This Edward was so different to the Edward at school. He was so much easier to talk to and carefree. I regretted not speaking to him before at school. Perhaps then I could perceive him as being more human; not the to-good-to-be-true gorgeous apparition I'd always seen him as. Nah, maybe not even then. Edward could never be classed as just human. Not to me, anyway.

We trudged back along a slightly different route, one that was less hazardous. I worried that I'd be too heavy for Edward but if it was making him uncomfortable carrying me, he certainly didn't show it and still managed to keep pace with the rest of the group.

"I'll get Dad to look at your foot properly when we get back," Edward said as we neared the inhabited part of the village again. "I don't _think_ it's broken but then I'm hardly a qualified doctor so I wouldn't trust my diagnosis if I were you." _Me – not trust Edward? Absurd!_ I thought, smiling. "How does it feel now?" I hadn't actually paid much attention to my foot to be honest during the walk, though now Edward had mentioned it, I realised it didn't hurt so much anymore.

"The pain's numbing." I said. "I could try to walk?"

"You sure?"

"Yep. I'd like not to be a burden any longer."

"You're not a burden, Bella." Edward shook his head as he helped me down. "I could carry you for hours without getting tired."

"Yeah, don't underestimate his macho-ness." Emmett laughed. "That's a real blow to his self-esteem. It's not easy for my little brother, being a weakling and all."

"I am NOT a weakling!" Edward glowered at Emmett.

"You keep telling yourself that, Eddie-kins." Emmett patted him on the head. "Mind over matter! That's the way to do it!"

"Whatever..." Edward rolled his eyes. "At least I _have_ a mind."

"Ha. Ha." Emmett muttered. "Not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be." Edward pointed out.

"Know-it-all..."

"Thanks," Edward grinned at him.

"Stop it you two!" Alice pushed them apart.

"Yeah, stop it Edward!" Emmett said innocently.

"I meant you as well, Em. That's why I said _you two_, idiot." Alice glared at Emmett. "Jeez... what is with guys and their pride?"

"Beats me," Rosalie smiled.

"STOP!" Alice suddenly screamed.

"What is it?" Jasper said, worried.

"Ice cream!" Alice's eyes suddenly lit up.

"What?" Jasper looked confused. Edward and Emmett raised their eyebrows at her.

"Over there! There's an ice-cream stall! Could we get some, pretty please?" She looked up at Jasper pleadingly. Naturally, he couldn't refuse.

"Err...sure." Jasper grinned.

"YAY!" Alice clapped her hands manically and flung herself at Jasper which consequently caused his face to flush many shades of pink. "I want strawberry with tonnes and tonnes of rainbow sprinkles and marshmallows…oh and a flake…that would just be the cherry on the top! Well technically the flake on the top because it's not a cherry…but ooh I wonder if I _could_ get a cherry on the top! Ha! A bit clichéd but super yummy! That would be just perfect don't you think…." Alice's voice faded into the distance as she skipped over to the ice-cream stall, dragging Jasper behind her.

"What the hell is she on!?" Emmett shook his head.

"No idea, but I sure want some!" I laughed.

"Ice-cream, Bella?" Edward asked, flashing me that brilliant crooked smile of his.

"Why not?" I smiled, limping over to where Alice was persuading Jasper to pay for her. Edward forced me to lean on his shoulder so I wouldn't trip over again. I wasn't complaining. He bought me fudge chocolate chip while he had toffee-flavoured ice cream. Emmett surprisingly picked triple chocolate with a flake and bought Rosalie a lemon sorbet, and Jasper bought himself raspberry.

"Hey guys, I have an amazing idea!" Alice squealed, once we'd all devoured our ice creams.

"What now?" Emmett groaned. Alice shot him a dark look.

"Seeing as Bella probably won't be able to walk to the castle..." I opened my mouth to protest but Alice continued, "I thought it would be great if we could all have piggyback races back!"

"What are we, five years old?" Edward raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"You're just moaning because you're too weak to carry Bella any more," Emmett said matter-of-factly.

"Quit being such a spoil sport! It'll be fun!" Alice smiled at me innocently. She knew I'd be in on her little plan to get closer to Jasper from the start and, of course, she was twisting it to mine and Rosalie's benefit too so we wouldn't complain. Though I did feel bad for making Edward uncomfortable.

"It's okay Edward, let them have their race. You don't have to carry me." I assured him.

"It's fine Bella, I'm not tired! Why does everyone keep saying that?" Edward said determinedly, gesturing for me to climb back onto him. Male pride overtook his sanity yet again.

"We'll see when you lose, won't we?" Emmett grinned, carrying a smug Rosalie.

"Don't wait up!" Alice laughed, flying past us on Jasper.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Edward objected, though before I knew it, we were moving too. That left Emmett behind as his brain took slightly longer than Edward's to process what was happening. Jasper's long strides meant that he and Alice had already built up a good lead and Emmett seemed to be gaining ground as he thundered up behind us, however Edward still managed to catch up with Jasper, despite having held me for the past hour. It felt as if I was clinging on for dear life at the speed at which Edward was running, though I managed to look up and wink at an outraged Alice as we overtook her and Jasper. Edward sped through the village and before we knew it, we were heading up the driveway towards the castle and the cottages beyond. Looking behind me I noticed that I could barely make out the others, though a sudden jolt caused me to pay attention to the road again. Edward slid to a halt as a sleek black Mercedes pulled up beside us. One of the tinted windows rolled down and Carlisle poked his head out.

"Oh hey kids, what are you doing here?" He asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Dad! Err...well, we just came back from the woods." Edward laughed nervously, sneaking glances behind as the others approached. "Can't talk right now though, we've kinda gotta go. You know, to win! Bye!" With that, Edward bounded off again towards the castle entrance, not waiting for Carlisle's response. "That was close!" He sighed with relief as he set me down by the double doors.

"Yep, they almost caught up then." I agreed, fumbling with the hem of my jacket.

"Almost, but not quite!" Edward grinned as first Jasper, then Emmett, stopped beside us. "As you can see, I was clearly exhausted," He smirked at Emmett.

"Whatever," Emmett scowled back. "Bella's probably lighter." Rosalie smacked him round the shoulder.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She glared at him menacingly. "Think carefully before you answer."

"Err...well you know, it means that you're much more...err...womanly." Emmett smiled cautiously.

"Is that the best you can do?"

"Errm...yes?" Emmett looked at her hopefully. Rose rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Alice's phone began to ring.

"Hey mum..." She answered. "What?...Of course I can!...With everyone?....Sure, I'll take them all with me! See ya!"

"What did she want?" Emmett asked.

"Drumroll, please! We are...." Alice paused for dramatic effect. "GOING SHOPPING!!!"

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**There you go :) PLEEEEEAASE REVIEW!!! Oh and if you get a chance read the Stories of Epicness by TheLemonWedges...it's an account my friends and I made. Kthx :D**

**Harpz xx**


	6. Plates and forks and spoons, oh my!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Asda....

**-le gasp- I've actually managed to find time to update! Well it was mainly a review that hurried me up *hint hint* :D This chapter isn't as long as the others but that's because i literally had half an hour to write it so hope you enjoy and please review at the end!**

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Plates and forks and spoons, oh my!

**Bella's POV**

"ASDA!?!" Emmett gasped. "You've taken us to Asda?!"

"Of course," Alice smiled to herself. "It's good value for money and open for 24 hours a day."

"But...but...you said we were going shopping?"

"This is shopping, dipstick. Esme said we're all having a barbeque this evening and you kinda need food for a barbeque."

"Oh, ok then." Emmett seemed to brighten at the mention of food.

"Now that's sorted, I've allocated you all a section of the shopping list to speed things up. Edward and Bella, you're in charge of utensils and things. You know, plastic plates, forks, spoons, that sort of thing." She handed Edward a slip of paper. I jumped at the mention of my name. Well, actually I jumped at the mention of Edward's name, I just happened to notice mine was tacked on the end. Shopping with Edward...this would be interesting. "Emmett, Rosalie, you have a variety of stuff to get. Foil, clingfilm, drinks, ketchup...It's all on the list." She also gave them a neatly written list. It was even in alphabetical order. When did she get the time to do this?!

"What about you and Jasper?" Rosalie asked.

"We're taking care of the food," Alice grinned, pulling out a trolley.

"NOOOOO!!" Emmett rammed into Alice, pushing her out of the way. "I wanna push the trolley." Alice rolled her eyes as we all went our separate ways.

"So...plates, huh?" Edward mumbled as we tried to find our way to the appropriate aisle.

"Yes...plates...." I felt like such an idiot. Couldn't we ever have a proper conversation?

"Plastic plates, right?" I saw Edward fidgeting from the corner of my eye.

"Indeed, plastic plates..." There was a long awkward silence.

"What about paper plates?" Edward suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You know, they're made of paper...so they would be disposable and lighter to carry."

"Ah yes...I suppose paper would be good."

"Yeah, but we don't have to use them. You know, if you don't want. It was a mere suggestion."

"No, it's a good idea. I like paper plates."

"Good, it's just that Alice might go a bit crazy if we...y'know..._alter_ the list."

"They're plates, Edward..." I looked up at Edward and found that he was also staring down at me, an eyebrow raised. Next thing I knew, we were both in hysterics.

**Emmett's POV**

What a fascinating substance. I admired my reflection in the foil Rose had just passed to me. She was doing most of the shopping, but that couldn't be helped. I was not going to let go of the trolley.

"Emmett, would you please stop staring at yourself and give me a hand." I absentmindedly held out my hand to her. "EMMETT!" My head snapped up.

"Yes, Rose?" I asked innocently.

"Would you please help me out here!?" I was torn between my love for the trolley and the image of Rose struggling to reach the last bottle of ketchup on the very top shelf.

"Can I still push the trolley?"

"Emmett, I have no interest in your trolley whatsoever. You can have it back the moment you pick up this bottle for me!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Ok, then..." I eyed her suspiciously then quickly snatched the bottle off the shelf before sprinting back over to the trolley.

**Rosalie's POV**

Idiot! Sweet idiot...

**Jasper's POV**

I watched in awe as Alice scurried through the aisles, grabbing items off the shelves at lightning speed. I found it hard to believe how she could still manage to find the best deals for every product, but then Alice was amazing. Amazing. Amazing Alice. Awesome Alice. Adorable Alice. Angelic Alice. Agile Alice. Apple-of-my-eye Alice. Admirable Alice. Astounding Alice. Astonishing Alice. Asda Alice. Adjacent Alice. What the hell? I shook my head, but still I couldn't escape that feeling. Alice Alice Alice Alice Alice Alice Alice Ally-wally Alice Alice Alice Alice Alice Alice....was attacking a poor defenceless old lady!?

**Alice's POV**

Sweet, my ass! This woman was evil. EVIL I tell you. I asked her so nicely as well! 'Can I please have your packet of burgers because they're the last ones left under the 2-for-the-price-of-1 offer and you only have one in total so it would be much more use to me because I have one and intend to have another one. Plus, I guarantee my brothers eat much more than you and seeing as I'm on a tight budget I really need that box! Please?" I unleashed the full power of my lashes on her but still, what did she do!? She backed away and began shooing me with her handbag! Well I was not going to let this one escape. So I did the most rational thing I could think of, I pounced and tried to grab it off her. Her eyes were bloodshot as she continued to wrestle with me but no one denies Alice. _No one!_ After one final tug, I managed to wrench the box off her. YES! Victory is mine! Suddenly, I felt Jasper lift me up and pull me towards the next aisle, after giving the lady another packet of burgers, _not_ under the offer.

"Alice, what were you thinking!?"

"2-for-the-price-of-1! What else would I be thinking?"

"You're lucky I pulled you away, there was a security guard coming and I'm pretty sure he would not have empathised with you." Jasper sighed.

"I suppose not," I pursed my lips. "Thanks, Jazz."

"No problem," Jasper shrugged, his cheeks slightly tinted pink. "Oh you do make me laugh, Alice!" He chuckled. Jasper made me laugh a lot too. He was so jovial. Jovial Jasper. Jolly Jasper. Joyous Jasper. Jumpy Jasper. Juicy Jasper. Jazzy Jasper. Jacket potato buy-one-get-one-free!

**Edward's POV**

Forks. Metal forks? No, imagine Bella with one of those. Way too hazardous. Plastic forks? What if it drops into the barbeque? No, maybe not.

"Can you even get paper forks?"

"No, Edward." Bella grinned. "But you can get wooden forks."

"Ah yes, wooden forks." What if they fell in the barbeque too?

"But I don't think Asda sells wooden forks."

"Indeed." Dammit.

"Looks like we'll just have to stick with..." I grimaced. "Plastic."

"Absolutely!" Bella agreed. Our short ramblings were getting more absurd every time, but we'd established that it was just a joke by now. I was beginning to really like Bella. She was smart, funny, mature when she needed to be and downright clumsy. Though I definitely wouldn't have changed that bit. I found some sort of satisfaction in constantly having to save her. Though for some reason, we still couldn't seem to have a meaningful conversation with each other. Obviously, Asda was not the place for such a discussion but I was hoping that I would have a chance to talk to Bella properly some time, just to find out how her mind worked. I was glad I had this opportunity at least, though. As in the general holiday. If it wasn't for this, I don't think I would ever have got to have known Bella. I knew of her in school but then again, so did everybody. I'd decided it wouldn't be a subject I'd like to bring up with her just yet though. Knowing Bella from this new perspective, I could begin to imagine how embarrassed she must have been and how awkward she probably still was around me. I hoped that maybe if I showed her what I was really like, behind the mask at school, she'd feel more comfortable around me. But for now, there were more important issues at hand. Spoons.

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**There it is!! Please review if you want more, they really do help me get a move on XD**** I have exams for the next few days so I don't **_**think**_** I will be updating within the week but then again I didn't think I'd be updating today so who knows? I also have a feeling this story may be turning into a romance/comedy because that is what i love the most - god knows why i chose to write two romantic stories! So just thought i'd warn you, though if Esie-muffin has anything to do with it then i can assure you will still have a healthy dose of cheese lol.**

**Until the next time...**

**Harpz xx**


	7. Danger Magnet

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

**Ok so i managed to fit another chapter in :D I'm getting back into the flow of this whole writing thing so my updates will definitely be more frequent than before. I'm aiming for once a week but i'm not promising anything as yet, just in case my school decides to spring something else on me. This also means I'm probably going to take a little break with my other story, at least until I get a bit further with this one. Thanks for the reviews :)Oh and we're back in Bella's POV...

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Danger Magnet

After another few minutes of contemplating whether or not each piece of cutlery would be feasible, Edward and I joined the others and we made our way back to the timeshare. Esme, Amy and my mother were already fussing over what to make and our fathers were setting up the barbeques by the outside swimming pool.

"Got everything?" Esme asked Alice as we dragged the shopping bags inside.

"Of course!" Alice smiled. "Have a little faith in me, mother."

"Good, good. You kids go play or something, we'll take care of it now."

"Come on Bella," Alice led me outside. "Let's go _play._" The boys were already playing football so Alice and I decided to join Rosalie who was sunbathing by the pool.

"Isn't he amazing?" Rose mumbled.

"Yep...." Alice sighed, lying down next to her.

"So masculine..."

"...and muscular..."

"...sweet..."

"...jovial..."

"...adorable..."

"...sensitive..."

"...tall..."

"...handsome..."

"...cheesy..." I butted in, feeling rather left out.

"Well, I like cheese," Alice said, defiantly.

"You two are crazy!"

"Oh, not as crazy as you, Bells." Rose said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're just as smitten as we are, you just won't admit it."

"Whatever..." I smiled when my cheeks didn't heat up. My blushing was finally under control!

"Seriously, you should look at yourself when you're around Edward. There's a reason why your blush is gone..."

"Meaning?" I narrowed my eyes at her. Rose and Alice smirked at each other. "Tell me!"

"Look who's getting paranoid."

"I'm not getting paranoid!" My voice rose a few octaves.

"Shall I tell her?" Rosalie asked Alice, purposely ignoring me.

"Hmm...I don't know. Maybe we should drag it out a bit further. This is fun!"

"Rose!" I whined.

"Well, you see...there's something else you do whenever you see him."

"Tell me!"

"Ask Edward."

"Ask me what?" Edward ran up to us, picking up the ball that Emmett had kicked too far. He had such bad timing.

"Go on, Bella." Alice grinned. My eyes widened as Edward looked down at me expectantly.

"It's nothing, forget it."

"Tell me..." Edward insisted.

"Ha, now you're beginning to sound like Bella." Alice said, raising her eyebrows at me. Edward frowned.

"Ignore her, what was it?"

"Seriously, Edward. It's absolutely nothing."

"You don't need to be shy of me." He said, earnestly. Rose and Alice tried to muffle their giggles.

"Yeah, Bella. He won't bite." Alice winked.

"It's not important. Rose and Alice are just doing this deliberately." Would he give up already?

"Bella..." Edward raised his eyebrows.

"Edward..." I huffed.

"Bella?" He pleaded.

"Edward!"

"Alice!" Alice chimed in.

"KIDS!" Charlie boomed, making everyone jump. "Dinner's ready."

"Meh." Alice and Rose groaned in unison. Thankful for the interruption, I sprang up from my seat and hurried over to the barbeque. Mum heaped a load of salad on my _paper_ plate and Tom handed me a burger. I was amused to notice how Edward kept glancing edgeways whenever someone walked too close to the grills with plastic cutlery. Within an hour, all the food was practically gone - Emmett being the main reason for that – and Edward and I had been sent off to collect some equipment from the sports cupboard, because they'd all decided to play cricket. Luckily, he hadn't brought up the brief conversation we'd had earlier. Though, the subject had definitely aroused my curiosity. What were Rose and Alice on about?

"Ladies, first." Edward held the door of the sports cupboard open for me and I reached to find the light switch. I pushed some crates out the way but there were too many obstructions, making it almost impossible for me to get to it, especially considering my clumsiness. If only my arm was a little longer.

"Edward, a little help?"

"Sure, just a second." I held my breath as Edward tried to squeeze past me. Ok, this was _way_ too close for comfort. It wasn't that I minded that Edward was so close to me, hell no! It was just extremely embarrassing and I begged that I wouldn't do anything to make the situation worse. I wondered if my new trait was visible in the dark? A loud creak snatched me from my thoughts.

"SHIT!" Edward immediately jolted backwards as the door slammed shut, knocking a few things over in the process.

"Ok, please tell me you took the keys out of the lock?" I whispered.

"Erm...I would love too, but dad says it's bad to lie." Edward chuckled nervously, struggling with the door handle.

"This is _not_ happening." Edward banged the door a few times but it wouldn't budge.

"Sorry..."

"It's not your fault, I should've thought before I came in." I tried to calm myself by assessing the situation. It was no big deal. I was simply locked in a small, dark sports cupboard with Edward Cullen. Just the two of us. All alone. My breathing became unsteady. Maybe thinking about the current situation wasn't going to help. I decided to think of the positives. People were constantly visiting the sports cupboard so it wouldn't be long before someone opened the door. Though a part of me was hoping that the holidaymakers were feeling particularly lazy today. I secretly relished every second.

"Are you alright, Bella?" His smooth, velvety voice made me forget everything.

"Yes, I'm fine. You?" I asked tentatively.

"No need to worry about me, Bells." _Bells._ He called me Bells! Only those who were closest to me called me that. I couldn't help the smile that broke out.

"I might as well try to find the light, seeing as we'll be stuck for a while." I swept a few more boxes aside and stumbled across the small space. _Damn!_ I tripped up on what I thought was a football and fell onto Edward. But for some reason, I didn't stop falling - in fact, we were both falling.

"Edward!" I shuddered as we made impact with the ground and realised at once that there was no way we were still inside the cupboard. "Oh my gosh, are you ok?" I opened my eyes to find we were lying in a lit corridor.

"I'm fine!" Edward laughed, smiling up at me. "_You_ are a danger magnet, Bella!" I suddenly became very aware of how I was lying on top of him and rolled off immediately, only to find something much more terrifying.

"Swan..." She spat, her nasal voice unforgettable. "Edward!" Shock was plastered on her face as she looked between the two of us.

"Mallory." I smiled, slightly smug at what must have been going through her mind. Edward jerked upright and stood behind me, looking slightly sheepish.

"What were you doing in there?" Lauren asked, somewhat disgusted.

"Oh, we just got locked in." Edward said, as if it was completely obvious.

"What?" She didn't seem satisfied.

"And I tripped in the dark, you know how clumsy I can be." I smirked.

"Then perhaps you should learn to be more careful in the future." Lauren glowered at me.

"Perhaps." I said breezily. "But for now, we really need to get going."

"Yep, they'll be wondering where we are." Edward had somehow managed to fetch all the equipment in that short space of time and he stalked off towards the castle entrance, gesturing for me to follow.

"Well, I best not keep him waiting." I grinned at a fuming Lauren, before running off after Edward.

"Who is she?" He asked, once we were back out in the open.

"The manager's daughter, Lauren Mallory."

"Didn't seem very friendly."

"She has a little difficulty with humans."

"Clearly!" Edward chuckled.

"Take your time," Alice had her hand on her hips.

"Sorry, we ran into a bit of...trouble." I said, going to stand by her. She didn't seem convinced. "I'll tell you later."

"Ok kids, we need teams of six so who wants to be captain?" Carlisle asked. Emmett immediately jumped forwards. "Anyone else? Edward?"

"Sure." Edward went to stand by Emmett.

"Eddie can pick first," Emmett smiled, ruffling Edward's hair. I hid behind Alice, even though she was smaller than me.

"Bella!" Edward grinned. _Crap!_ I awkwardly shuffled behind him.

"Rosalie." Emmett said, trying to be casual.

"Jasper."

"Dad."

Alice looked pleadingly at Edward. "Alice." He rolled his eyes.

"YAY!" She clapped her hands and stood by me, smiling.

"Charrrlie.." Emmett said, putting on a farmer accent for some reason.

"Tom."

"Renée." That left Amy and Esme.

"Amy!" Edward said, a little too quickly. Esme glared at him and went to stand by Emmett, a little miffed that she'd been left till last.

"Dibs on fielding first!" Alice said, spinning the ball. "I'm bowler!"

"Fine by me," Rose said, taking her place in the strip, opposite Emmett. Amy was backstop while Tom and Edward closed in. Jasper and I went wide, even though it was unlikely Rose would hit that far. The first time round, Rose missed and the ball smacked straight into Amy's face.

"Sorry," Amy muttered. "I wasn't ready, ok!"

"Fine, that was just a practice." Rosalie braced herself as Alice bowled once again but this time, she actually managed to hit the ball. Moreover, it was coming my way.

"I've got this!" Jasper and I exclaimed in unison, edging backwards as the ball hurtled towards us. We both raised our hands, trying to catch but at the last minute, Jasper nudged me to the side so that he could claim it. I stumbled over my own feet and found myself teetering precariously on the edge of the pool.

"Bella!" Jasper stared at me wide-eyed. I waved my arms about frantically, trying to regain my balance but the next thing I knew...._SPLASH!_ Freezing water surrounded me as I plummeted into the deep end. At least I could swim. The moment I'd recovered, I began rising back to the surface.

"JASPER!" I screamed, gasping for breath. "You are SO dead!" I rubbed water out of my eyes. Jasper keeled over in laughter.

"Ha..ha...y-you f-f-fell into the p-p-pool!" He leant forward, smacking the ground.

"Idiot!" Rose kicked his butt, causing him to topple forwards and fall in after me.

"NO! MY HAIR!" He squealed, trying to shake the water out.

"Serves you right." Rose looked fairly smug.

"Give me a hand, then!" Rose sighed and reached to help Jasper but he pulled her in instead, also causing her to fall.

"JAZZ!" Rose splashed him with water as he was once again in a fit of giggles. By now most of the others had joined us. Edward reached over to help me get out.

"Here, take my hand."

"Oh don't be such a bore, Edward." Alice rolled her eyes, before also pushing him in. I turned as water splashed all over me. Edward didn't take it so badly though. He laughed and sprayed water over her.

"Ugh, Edward! You got me wet."

"Not as wet as you will be!" Emmett chuckled, gathering her up.

"NO! EMMETT!" Alice thrashed about in his arms and thumped his chest as Emmett held her directly over us. "EMMMMEEETTT!"

"Three...."

"NOOOO!"

"Two...."

"EM!"

"One..."

"DON'T YOU DA.....AAAAH!" Emmett let go of her, before cannon-balling in himself. Water splashed over everyone, including the amused adults who were trying to stay well away. Somehow, Jasper managed to catch Alice so she was only half wet but she was still furious.

"That's it Emmett!" She threw herself at him and repeatedly pounded his back.

"You know I can't actually feel anything," Emmett smiled, trying to prise her off of him.

"Oh shut up!" After that, everyone began spraying water over each other and it turned into a big water fight. Rose had given up on getting revenge and was helping Alice drench Emmett, while Jasper, Edward and I were just splashing about randomly with each other. Our parents gathered on a bench nearby and were discussing what sounded like politics so we continued to _play_ for at least another half an hour or so. I didn't mind that we were freezing, or that we were soaking wet. I was in my favourite place, with Edward and the people I cared about the most. That's all that mattered. I was ecstatic. Could life get any better?

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**Pleeease review :D That would be most excellent dude...sorry I'm in a very 'Bill and Ted' mood right now XD**

**Harpz xx**


	8. Fwy dwagon, fwy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but i do own the dragon ring XD

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter :D Here's the next one, enjoy!**

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Fwy dwagon, fwy! 

Life really could not get any better. In fact, it got a whole lot worse the next morning.

"Say hello, Bella." Mum urged.

"Hello." I glared at the two grinning children in front of me.

"Hey!" Edward smiled at them, completely oblivious to the evil they were capable of. Rose, Jasper and I just stood motionless. We should have known that Lauren would have found a way of avoiding Jane and Alec eventually, and then of course, they would be dumped on us. Luckily, we had the Cullens this time. They'd volunteered to come round and help when they found out we'd have to babysit the kids for the entire day. They had absolutely no idea of what they were getting themselves into, apart from Alice who knew everything anyway. At least we had strength in numbers.

"Actually, I hope you don't mind, but I would really appreciate it if you could take care of my sister's kids as well." The twins' mum, Renata, said.

"Your sister's kids?" Renée asked.

"Well they came up for the holiday this year too, and obviously I can't look after them if I have to make a trip back to the city for the day. Would it be too much trouble? I'd pay."

"Of course not! And you've no need to pay. It'll be a pleasure to have them round." My mother smiled warily.

"Oh, but I insist! I'm sure you all have better things to do with your time. It'd only be fair."

"We can sort that out when you get back. Don't worry about anything right now."

"So, where are the little munchkins?" Dad asked.

"They're in the car. I'll just go get them." Renata seemed to breathe a sigh of...relief? I'm sure they couldn't be much worse than the devil twins. Renata came back in, surrounded by three little, almost identical, children. I had to admit, they were extremely cute. They all had the same pale white skin, chin-length hair and bright green eyes, though one had white-blonde hair while the other two had jet black hair. Weird. The one with light hair seemed to be sulking behind her, while the one with slightly longer, black hair looked as if he was about to fall asleep. The other one was jumping up and down.

"They're triplets," Renata explained. What was it with that family and being over-fruitful? "This..." She said, gesturing towards the one with blonde hair, "...is Caius. This..." She pulled the sleepy one towards her, "...is Marcus, and this..." She pointed to the hyperactive one, "...is Aro. They're all four-years old and are usually very well behaved."

"I'm sure they are," Dad reached to pat Caius on the cheek, but the kid suddenly tilted his head and bit his finger. Great, _three_ mini Jane-and-Alecs, plus the originals. What had I ever done to deserve this? "Haha...hungry, are we?" Dad chuckled nervously.

"They shouldn't be," Renata assured him. "I just fed them."

"I see. Does that mean it's nap time?" Mum eyed Marcus.

"Nope. They don't sleep much. Well, apart from Marcus, and he sleeps _too_ much so it's best that they're kept occupied. Try not to let him sleep at all until night time. Thanks so much for this, I hope they won't be too much trouble."

"It'll be fun. We haven't had kids around the house in a long time."

"Lucky you," Renata muttered, almost inaudibly. "Thank you Renée, Charlie."

"No problem, I hope your company thing works out." They waved as her car sped down the driveway. "Ok dears, my daughter and her friends will take care of you now as Charlie and I have work to do. You'll be fine, won't you Bella?"

"Yes, mother." I took a deep breath.

"Careful!" Edward suddenly leapt forward to scoop Marcus up just before he hit the floor. He must have dozed off while leaning by the door. Marcus woke up for a second, then gradually fell back asleep, resting against Edward's shoulder. I knew we weren't meant to let Marcus fall asleep, but this was just too cute. I felt myself envying the child.

"Ok, enough sleep for the little one." Rosalie rolled her eyes, taking him from Edward.

"Wha?" Marcus rubbed his eyes. Everyone collectively 'awwed' at his small, slightly squeaky but adorable voice. Rose was even under his control for a second, but managed to snap out of it before the rest of us.

"No way! You are not fooling me with your cute looks and sweet voice. No sleep for you, mister." Marcus' eyes went wide. "Was that too harsh?" He suddenly burst out in tears. "Ok, too harsh. Sorry, please don't cry. Emmett?" Rose looked at him, worriedly. Emmett came up behind Rosalie, covered his eyes and then removed his hands, booming, "Peek-a-boo!" Marcus looked up for a second, stared at Emmett, then began to cry again, this time louder.

"Bella, you take him!" Rose hurriedly passed him to me. I held the wailing child at arm's length, not quite sure what to do. However, as if by some miracle, he stopped crying.

"Wow Bella, look who's got the magic touch." Alice winked.

"CRAP!" Emmett suddenly shrieked.

"You say naughty word," Caius giggled.

"What is it?" Rose asked. We all followed Emmett's gaze and saw that the door was wide open, and Aro was nowhere to be seen.

"Oops." Jane smirked. Emmett suddenly bolted out of the door with Rosalie close behind.

"Well it's no point, all of us going." Edward figured. "Jasper, you and Alice could go back to yours and take care of Jane and Alec. Bella and I will go after those two."

"Sure." Alice agreed. Jasper seemed unsure.

"We're not _babies_." Jane glared at us.

"Yeah," Alec huffed. "We don't need to be babysitted."

"Baby_sat_." Jasper corrected.

"Whatever." Alec rolled his eyes. "Loser."

"So Caius," Edward crouched down to his height. "What would you like to do?"

"Feed the duckies, _pwease_." Caius answered. The 'please' part wasn't actually so pleasant. It was as if he was forced to do say it.

"Ok then, you can come with me and Bella." He held out his hand for Caius to hold. Caius glared at him, then somewhat reluctantly took it. I noticed that Marcus had dropped off again in my arms as I collected some bread for the ducks. This was going to be more difficult than I anticipated. Edward and I ran after Emmett and Rosalie, leaving a slightly worried Alice and Jasper with the twins. To be honest however, I think we'd drawn the short straw. The twins were angels compared to the triplets. As we approached the mini golf course, we saw Emmett and Rosalie standing by the oak tree as Aro ran around the small posts, which were almost as tall as him. He appeared to have a green inflatable swimming pool ring around his waist in the shape of a dragon.

"I see you found him." Edward grinned at Emmett.

"He hadn't got far. He kept falling every time he tried to get back up the hill."

"What is he _doing_?" I wondered aloud, walking up to him. I noticed he was flapping his arms up and down whilst trying to imitate a kind of gallop.

"Fwy dwagon, fwy!!" He screamed. Marcus stirred in my arms but was soon back in the land of nod.

"Can we _pwease_ go feed the duckies, now?" Caius stamped his foot, getting a little impatient.

"Yes, yes, fine." Edward sighed.

"Would you like to come feed the ducks, Aro?" I asked.

"Duckies?" Aro gasped, jumping up and down again. "Ca...ca...can I...can I fwy there on my dwagon?"

"Of course you can."

"Yay, go dwagon!!!" Aro began flapping his arms and rolled down the slope towards the river. He went completely still for a moment. Edward and I stopped, worried he had hurt himself, but then he got up again and continued to 'fwy.' Caius however, did not seem amused.

**Jasper's POV**

"So you see, it's important to remain calm at all times." I finished my lecture on meditation and eyed Jane and Alec. They were sitting on the sofa, perfectly at ease.

"Is it always this boring?" Jane sighed.

"Well, what would you like to do then?" My patience was running thin.

"What do big children do? Mum said we're _big_ kids now."

"Err...." I looked around the room and spotted my stack of CDs. I supposed I could entertain them for a while, at least until Alice was out of the bathroom. "Big kids listen to music."

"What kind of music?" Alec leant forward. I smiled.

**Bella's POV**

Aro and Caius seemed pretty content feeding the ducks. Even Marcus had woken up for it. Caius was a little more devious about the process though. He would keep the bread out of the ducks' reach and make them jump for it, seeming to find satisfaction in their futile attempts. He was going to grow up to be one twisted kid. Edward suddenly sat down next to me on the grass.

"So....ducks, eh?" Edward smiled crookedly at me. My heart went into overdrive.

"Yeah, ducks."

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

"So I was thinking..."

"Hmm?" I looked up at him expectantly. He had a thoughtful expression.

"Errm...would you..err...maybe....y'know...like to...." Was he seriously stuttering around me? "Erm..."

"AWO!!!" Marcus stared wide-eyed at his brother, who was leaning forward to pick up his dragon ring, which had fallen somehow into the river. "No, Awo! Don't do it! Dwagon will fwy away! You have to be carefawl."

"You'we wong, Marcush." Caius tutted. "Dwagon can't fwy in wiver. Go get it, Awo."

"I'm twying!" Aro reached forward.

"Oh no you're not!" Emmett lifted him up so his feet were dangling in the air and then put him on his shoulders. Edward collected the dragon ring for him and placed it around Aro.

"I'm fwying Caiush! I'm fwying!" Aro exclaimed. "Go, new dwagon!" He patted Emmett on the head.

"Go on, Emmett." Rose laughed. "Go fwy!" Emmett sighed and began running off back towards the mini golf course, Aro tugging on his ears. Rosalie followed them.

"Cwap..." Caius giggled, pointing towards Marcus. He was curled up in the grass, in the middle of all the ducks. Edward smiled and picked him up, resting him against his shoulder again.

"You shouldn't swear, Caius." I scolded.

"Emmy swearded." Caius pointed out.

"_Emmy_ is older than you." Edward chuckled.

"Nuh-uh!" Caius got up on his tip-toes. "I awlmost biggewer than Emmy!"

"You keep telling yourself that, kid," Edward patted him on his head.

"Would you _pwease_ stop that!" Caius scowled at him.

"Sorry..." Edward raised his eyebrows at me.

"_Pwease_ can we go in now?" He whined.

"Yeah yeah..." I said, lifting myself off the ground.

"ARO NO!!!" Rosalie shrieked. Edward and I whipped round to see Aro running at some dog with a golf post. We hurried to join them and noticed the deflated dragon ring by Aro's feet.

"You bust my dwagon! I bust you!" Aro yelled, preparing to attack.

**Alice's POV**

I was just combing my hair back into place when I suddenly heard loud music coming from the living room. I immediately skipped downstairs to find Jasper, Alec and Jane head-banging to 'Psychosocial' by Slipknot.

"Now give me the sign of rock!" Jasper shouted over the blaring noise, showing the kids the 'sign of rock' by lifting his index and little finger.

"Yeah, man!" Alec followed suit. "This is totally awesome, dude!"

"Yeah, most triumphant, little rocker-dudes!" Jasper grinned, putting on some weird dopey-teenager American accent. Even Jane was joining in.

"Jasper?" I edged into the room.

"Oh, hey Alice!" He suddenly straightened up and turned the music down.

"Ohhhh!" Jane moaned.

"No need to stop on my account," I smirked. "I have some more CDs if you like?"

"You listen to rock and heavy metal?" Jasper seemed surprised.

"Hell yeah! Mainstream stuff sucks! Hey Jane, how about I give you an emo makeover?"

"Would you?" Jane gasped.

"Sure, make-up's at my place. See you later guys!" I gestured for Jane to follow me.

"Peace out dudes..." Alec said, once again trying to attempt the 'sign of rock.'

**Bella's POV**

"Thank goodness Emmett got there in time!" Rosalie sighed as we made our way back to the cottage. Emmett had Aro on his back and Caius was thumping Edward who had him slumped over his shoulders. He'd given Marcus back to me after Caius had attempted to join in with Aro.

"Would you _pwease_ put me down!" He screeched.

"If you promise to behave." Edward said, sternly.

"I pwomise." Caius sighed.

"You won't try to run after the dog again?"

"No, I leave doggie alone!"

"Fine." Edward put him down as we opened the door to the cottage.

"What the hell?" Emmett stared blankly ahead of him.

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**Aren't the volturi just the most adorable things in the world!? I know it's a little hard to understand what they're saying at times but i just had to put the 'w's in, they sound so much cuter that way. Please review! Part 2 will be even more chaotic so the more reviews i get, the faster i'll get it done :D Thanks again for reading!**

**Harpz**

**xx**


	9. Mash, Nappies and Werewolves

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Bullet For My Valentine. Though I would love to own Matt Tuck ;)

**I spent a little longer on this chapter because it's almost twice as long as the last couple so I hope you enjoy it :D Just to clarify, if you find any of the Volturi language slightly difficult to understand *coughRcough* then just remember to replace the 'w' if it's not meant to be there, with a 'r'. I'm sure most of it's fine, it's just in case. *glares at particular person who has no common sense* Don't forget to review at the end!

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Mash, Nappies and Werewolves

"_What the hell?" Emmett stared blankly ahead of him. _

My mouth dropped open as I comprehended the sight ahead of me. Jasper, Alice, Jane and Alec were all rocking out to 'Waking the Demon' by Bullet For My Valentine. Jasper was jumping up and down on the sofa, playing air guitar, while Alec was attempting 'screamo' - trying to be Matt Tuck. It appeared as if Alice had given Jane some kind of makeover because she was smothered in black eyeliner and white powder, while Alice was just running around manically. Suddenly, Jasper noticed us and everyone fell silent. Alec quickly switched the stereo off as Alice shrank behind Jane, somewhat unsuccessfully hiding herself.

"So...you guys seem to have had...fun..." Edward tried not to laugh.

"Errm yeah...the kids aren't so bad after all." Jasper ran his hand through his hair, clearly embarrassed.

"Well at least _some_ of us had a carefree time." Emmett placed Aro back on the floor.

"Nooo! Dwagon can't put me down!" He moaned.

"Dwagon's tired." Emmett rolled his eyes.

"Dwagons never ever get tired! Ever!" Aro stamped his foot. "You wubbish dwagon, Emmy!"

"Am not!"

"Yesh, you are! I go to find better dwagon!" Aro ran off towards Jasper and held up his deflated dragon ring. "Blow!"

"Who, me?" Jasper looked about himself. Who else? Aro hopped impatiently.

"YESH!"

"Would you _pwease_ just bow it!?" Caius huffed, trotting over.

"Okay, okay!" Jasper held his hands up in defeat.

"Good luck with that! The dog bit it." Rosalie smirked. Jasper stared at the ring in disgust.

"Doggie bust my wing..." Aro looked down sadly.

"So we try to bust doggie," Caius grinned, an evil gleam in his eye.

"But you won't do it again, will you?" Edward stared at him.

"No." Caius glared back.

"They did what?" Jasper said, incredulously.

"Long story. So which dragon riders are hungry?" I asked, setting a newly awoken Marcus on the ground.

"ME! ME! ME! PICK ME!" Aro jumped up and down enthusiastically.

"And you, Caius?"

"I not dwagon wider...." Caius glowered at me.

"Oh? What are you then?"

"I..." Caius looked up, smiling. "Dwagon slayer!"

"No!" Aro gasped, clutching his dragon ring as Caius leapt for it.

"What about you Marcus, are you hungry?"

"No..." Marcus curled up on the sofa.

"Are you not a dragon rider either?"

"No..."

"What are you then?"

"I'm a....a....faiwy..." Marcus yawned.

"A fairy?"

"Uh-huh."

"Marcush, you such a girly!" Aro sniggered.

"I not, Awo!" Marcus protested feebly.

"Dwagon slayers kill girlies..." Caius giggled.

"Ok, ok, break it up!" Edward lifted Caius up before he could attack Marcus. "If you don't behave, you don't get any food."

"Buh...buh..."

"No buts."

"I said 'buh' dummy..."

"Don't get clever with me, mister." Edward put him on one of the chairs.

"Who wants mash?" Alice asked.

"MEE!" Aro squealed in his chair. I had to sit Marcus on my lap because he kept dropping off.

"Here we go!" Alice set the mash and mini pizzas down on the table in front of the kids. Emmett volunteered to feed Aro and Edward decided to sit by Caius because he insisted on eating himself.

"Open wide!" I scooped up some mash and held the spoon to Marcus' mouth. "Marcus?" He didn't stir. "Marrrrcus?" SMACK. He fell face down into the plate of mash.

"Cwap..." Caius muttered. Edward glared at him. I lifted Marcus up and wiped his face clean. Aro giggled.

"Marcus! You can't sleep when you're eating!" I scolded.

"Buh...I tired." Marcus huffed, consequently blowing his floppy fringe out of his eyes. It was hard to stay mad at him for long. Why did he have to be so cute?

"Aro!" I turned as Aro smeared mash all over his face. "Why did you do that?" Emmett gasped.

"Marcush did it!" Aro grinned, rubbing mash over Emmett's nose.

"Oh no you didn't!" Emmett threw mash back at him.

"Emmett!" Alice smacked him round the back of the head. "You're meant to be the more responsible one."

"He started it."

"Me no starteded it! I just feeding my dwagon!"

"Well it's time for the dragon to feed the dragon rider!" Emmett started making aeroplane noises in his attempt to feed Aro. It worked. Edward however, was having more trouble getting Caius to eat.

"Haven't you cut it up enough by now?" Edward sighed.

"No. It not dead yet." Caius continued to hack at his pizza with a plastic spoon.

"It was never alive. It's margherita!"

"It wuh?"

"Forget it. This kid is driving me crazy." He looked pleadingly at Alice. "Can't the adults take care of them?"

"They've gone to a restaurant." Rosalie explained. "Mum told me earlier."

"Well my mother conveniently left that out."

"You might as well get used to it, Edward." Alice said simply. "Practice makes perfect. You'll have your own kids eventually." She inconspicuously winked in my direction. I pretended to be too immersed in feeding Marcus to notice, though I could feel my blush creeping back.

"_My_ kids won't be like this." Edward said matter-of-factly. "Not like this one, anyway." He nodded towards Caius.

"At least Bella can seem to keep them under control." She did not just say that!?

"Aro's fine with me!" Emmett protested. Trust Emmett to make things general. Perfect timing as well.

"Yeah, Awo's dwagon always behave!" Aro piped, between mouthfuls of Pizza. Within fifteen minutes, the kids had all finished their food - including Jane and Alec who seemed to completely idolise Jasper and Alice – which meant that we had to keep them occupied until bedtime. We thought it was best for Jasper and Alice to be left with the twins in the Hale household because they'd seemed to have warmed up to each other so the rest of us took the triplets to number twelve.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Rosalie asked, locking the door behind her. We weren't going to risk another Aro incident again.

"Go sleep," Marcus yawned yet again.

"Besides that..."

"Pay game!" Aro suggested.

"And what game would you like to play?"

"Wii!"

"You want to play on the Wii?"

"Damn, I know I should have hidden that!" Edward groaned.

"Yeah, Wii!" Caius agreed.

"Emmett?" Rose looked at him questioningly.

"Fine..." Emmett rolled his eyes. "But you're only playing the sports games though, the others are for big kids _only_."

"I big kid!" Caius said indignantly. "I go nursewy!"

"It's Edward's Wii, his rules."

"Why are you pinning this on me?" Edward looked up from the green armchair.

"Because they hate you already," Emmett smirked.

"You don't hate me, do you?"

"Yesh." Caius scowled.

"No! Eddie funny when he angwy." Aro disagreed.

"How am I funny?"

"You do weird nose thingy. It funny." Aro giggled, placing his fingers on the bridge of his nose in an attempt to imitate Edward. "Now play!" Emmett resignedly set up the Wii for the boys before going over to the Hale household, and they went through every sports game there was. Caius particularly never seemed to get bored of the boxing game. There was something sinister about the satisfaction he would get from beating Aro and Marcus' Miis to a pulp. Marcus preferred the golf game himself and Aro just enjoyed everything. They'd been playing for two hours straight and we would've stopped them if it weren't for the fact that it was so peaceful when they were immersed in their games.

"Rose?" I whispered as the triplets were playing Baseball for the third time in a row.

"Yes?" Rosalie sidled up closer to me.

"You know yesterday, when you and Alice were making fun of me?"

"...yes?" Rose seemed to know where I was going with this.

"What do I do when I see Edward?" I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure that Edward was completely distracted by his book. Rosalie laughed.

"Apart from blushing?"

"Yeah..."

"Your eyes go cloudy."

"What!?"

"You go all starry-eyed when you see him. I know it probably sounds impossible, but your eyes really do go cloudy. They completely glaze over and it's as if you're in a completely different dimension." That seemed accurate enough. Someone like Edward couldn't exist in a universe like this. So imperfect. I was usually in a world of my own whenever he appeared. Even now, despite the fact that I'd seen so much of him for the past few days, I still couldn't bring myself to fully believe it was all happening. Things like this just don't happen to me. Not to mention how irregular Edward's behaviour had been of late; stuttering and shyness were traits he was just not capable of. At school he was literally the coolest, smoothest and most confident person around. Now he just seemed so much more...human. He was still the most gorgeous guy on the damn planet though. Nothing could change that.

"Do you reckon he's noticed?" I bit my lip.

"It's not that conspicuous, to be honest." Rosalie chuckled. "Though I suppose he'd have to be blind to miss your blushing. Your cheeks go so red you could probably blush for England."

"Great. Thanks." I said sarcastically. Even I couldn't deny that my blushing was my most predominant feature.

"Hey, do you mind if I go over and get some stuff from my house? I shouldn't be _too _long."

"And might this have anything to do with a Mr Cullen being there right now?" I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Of course." Rosalie grinned. She wasn't as bothered with hiding her intentions. "I'll be back before their bedtime, I promise. I won't make you go through that on your own!"

"She won't be on her own." Edward butted in. Crap! How long had he been listening to us. Maybe I was wrong about how distracted he was.

"Naturally." Rosalie smirked. "But guys are hopeless when it comes to getting kids ready. Trust me, Bella and I know. Jazz couldn't change Alec's nappy to save his life."

"Actually, that's a point. Do these kids still wear nappies?" I wondered.

"Please say no. Please say no." Edward chanted.

"No."

"Thank God!" Edward sighed with relief.

"Except for Aro." Rose added. "Apparently he has accidents every now and then again when he gets excited."

"But I not wear nappy!" Caius exclaimed. "I wear pants now!"

"Well done, Caius." I praised.

"Ok, I'm off." Rosalie unlocked the door and slipped outside. I ran up and turned the key behind her, before the triplets could try to make any moves.

"Where Wosey go?" Marcus asked, slumping on the sofa beside me.

"She went to check on your cousins." Edward answered. He lifted Marcus up and sat down next to me instead, placing the kid on his lap. My heart skipped a beat as I realised at the distance between us. Well technically, there was no distance between us, as our shoulders were touching due to the convenient small size of the sofa. I shifted my gaze to Aro and Caius.

"Breathe, Bella." I jumped as Edward whispered in my ear.

"Geez Edward, don't do that!" That guy will be the death of me.

"Sorry..." Edward grinned.

"I bored now!" Aro huffed.

"Can I have _pwease_ have some ceweal?" Caius asked.

"Cereal? But it's almost time for you to go to sleep." Edward replied.

"Aunty always give us ceweal before we go to seep!"

"Does she?"

"Yesh!" Aro nodded vigorously.

"Fine. What would you like?"

"SHWEDDIES!" All three of them squealed in unison.

"Shreddies?"

"Yeah! It's our favouwitest ceweal in the whole wide world ever!" Aro began jumping up and down again.

"Really?" Edward narrowed his eyes at them.

"Yesh! Mummy says gwandma knitted them for us!"

"Riigghhht.....Well you three go and sit on the table then, and I'll make them for you."

"Okay!" They ran over to the table and sat down, being oddly obedient.

"I'll make them Edward, don't worry." I offered, joining him in the kitchen.

"Nope, I insist. Especially, since you're changing Aro's nappy." Edward smiled.

"ME!? Why me?"

"Because as Rosalie pointed out, men can't change nappies. Call this a compromise? Pwease?" He asked innocently. How could I resist when he said 'pwease'!? This was so unfair.

"Fine!" I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks, dear." Edward poured the milk in their cereals. DEAR!?! Did he just call me dear!? I gripped the side of the breakfast bar for fear I would fall over. A knock at the door startled me further.

"I'll...err...get it." I hurried over to the door. It was Jasper and Emmett.

"Oh hey, Bella. Can we borrow your torch?" Jasper asked, coming inside.

"The torch?"

"Yeah, we kinda need it. We're going to go and check on the cars." Emmett explained.

"And you need a torch because?"

"Because it's dark, duh..." Jasper rolled his eyes.

"But...why do you need to check on the cars?" This seemed a little fishy to me.

"Coz we have nothing better to do and the girls are putting on..." He shuddered. "_Make-up."_

"Okie dokie then." Poor Alec. They grabbed the large torch off of the shelf above the microwave and ran back outside.

"If you don't mind me saying, your brother is a little odd." I smiled at Edward who was watching the kids eat their Shreddies.

"I know. He left all the clever genes for me!" Edward grinned back.

"Of course."

"Bella?" Aro looked up at me.

"Yes?"

"Could you....errm....change my nappy now?" He smiled at me sweetly.

"Change your nappy?" I gulped.

"Yesh. I go potty in it." He giggled. Edward appeared to be trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Right now?"

"Yesh pwease." He hopped off the chair and stood on the stairs.

"Err....ok." I managed to squeak, picking up his wash bag as I followed him upstairs. "Edward, please go get Rose."

"It's ok, I'm here!" Rosalie knocked on the kitchen window. Edward went to open the door for her. "I've been standing here for ages! Did you not hear me knock?" Alice, Jane and Alec came in after her.

"Err....no. But I'm glad you're here now. Aro's nappy needs changing. Oh hey, Alice."

"What, right now?" Rose looked mortified.

"Yesh!" Aro stamped his foot.

"Fine. Come on, you little monster."

"I'll come too, then." Alice said, skipping up the stairs behind us.

"Are you sure Edward will be okay with those lot?" I asked.

"He'll be fine."

"Are you sure this needs all three of us?" Rosalie wondered.

"Yesh." Aro grinned. "I kick."

* * *

"How does his mother cope?" Rose stumbled out of the bathroom, gasping for air.

"I have no idea." I tried to forget the ordeal we'd just been through. It really did take three of us. Rosalie changed his nappy while Alice disposed of the soiled one, and I held his arms down.

"At least he can go to bed without any more trouble now. I brushed his teeth as well." Alice came out, carrying Aro.

"Thanks, Alice." I smiled at her.

"No problem. We'd better make sure the others get ready for bed too." Just then, a loud cry erupted from downstairs. This was followed by various other wails and as we ran down the stairs, we found all of the children, apart from Jane, crying.

"What happened?" I looked at Edward quizzically.

"I only told them a story!" He held his hands up innocently.

"He....he....told us there was a werewolf outside and it was going to eat us!" Alec spluttered between sobs. Just then there was a smack on the patio windows, which looked out onto the woods. This was followed by another sharp tap. Marcus screamed louder, clutching onto my leg.

"What the _hell_ did you do that for!?" Alice yelled at Edward, whilst comforting Alec. Even Jane seemed a little unnerved.

"They said they wanted a story! I made up the first thing I could think of!" Edward argued back, though it was pretty clear he'd lost already.

"Oh right, so you tell them there's a werewolf outside who's going to eat them!?"

"Those weren't my exact words!"

"So what were they?"

"There is a werewolf who lives in the woods outside who is going to devour our souls," Jane said flatly.

"Yeah, that was it." Edward mumbled. "I didn't realise they'd understand what devour meant..."

"I think they just got the 'werewolf outside' part." Jane retorted. "That was enough." Something else smacked against the window.

"What _is_ that?" I wondered, walking up to the patio. There were a few pebbles scattered on the floor.

"Bella?" Edward stood beside me.

"Someone's throwing stones at the window." I explained. The children gasped and began to back away.

"Wait a sec..." Edward peered through the darkness and pointed out a faint glow in the trees. "I wonder...." He opened up the window and bent over to pick up one of the pebbles. I ineffectively tried to keep my eyes in front of me. Edward aimed at the point where the glow was coming from and threw the stone back.

"Shit! Jasper, what was that?" A voice could be heard in the distance.

"Did you just hear that?" Edward grinned at me. He collected a few more stones and lumbered them at the trees. There was another groan, then all of the sudden, the light darted across our vision and out of sight.

"So that's what they were doing!" Rosalie appeared behind us. "Idiots. It's ok kids, it was only Jasper and Emmett being stupid."

"So there's no werewolf?" Alec sighed with relief.

"No," Alice said, shooting death glares at Edward. "There's no werewolf. Now I want you to quickly get dressed for bed, ok?"

"Okies." Marcus and Caius trudged upstairs solemnly with Alice as Jane and Alec were already wearing their night suits. A few minutes later, they came back down wearing the most adorable clothes. Marcus was wearing a Makka-Pakka shirt from 'In the Night Garden,' Caius was wearing a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' shirt and we'd already dressed Aro in his 'Bob the Builder' suit. Edward had set up a little nest on the floor for them out of loads of duvets and cushions, which they were more than happy to jump straight into. The doorbell rang.

"Emmett, Jasper! I want a word with you!" Alice said, opening the door.

"What?" Emmett asked, placing the torch back on the shelf. Busted.

"Why were you chucking stones at our window?"

"We were not!" Emmett scoffed.

"Don't lie to me, Em. Edward caught you out, remember? Quote – Shit! Jasper what was that? – unquote." Alice used her fingers to emphasise the quotation marks.

"That wasn't us." Jasper mumbled.

"Yeah, there're loads of Jaspers round here."

"Emmett, I...." Alice broke off as there was another tap at the window.

"See." Emmett chuckled nervously.

"Edward?" I indicated towards the noise. Edward shrugged.

"Wha's that?" Caius asked, sitting up.

"Nothing. Don't worry, you go back to sleep." I assured them.

"Buh I don't wanna shleep!" Marcus complained.

"What!? But you always sleep, Marcus!"

"Only in day. Marcush shtay awake at night." This was not happening. Nocturnal kids!? There one more smack on patio doors and the kids jolted out of bed. I subconsciously moved closer to Edward.

"I'll check." He pulled the curtains aside and everyone screamed.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" A young tanned boy with middle-length black hair stood outside the window, a dog beside him. He had a typical farmer's accent.

"Who are you?" Edward asked, pushing the window open wider.

"I'm Jacob. I'm the new caretaker for the resort. I just wanted to let you know that one of your chairs had fallen over."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows. The boy turned to me.

"Oh, hello there miss. I just wanted to let you know..."

"Yes, I get it. One of our chairs has fallen over."

"Indeedy. Would you like me to pick it up for you?"

"Thank you, yes." I watched the boy warily as he lifted the plastic chair on the balcony back up. Had he seriously knocked just to tell us that?

"So, I guess I should...go now." He shifted about, almost reluctant to go.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yes, it's just....I get a little lonely from time to time. No one to talk to but my dogs. They're like my brothers, you see. This is Seth."

"He bust my dwagon!" Aro gasped, scuttling over to us.

"Terribly sorry about that," Jacob apologised. "He only wanted to play. Well, I'd better go now. Errm.....nice meeting you. Oh and miss, if you would ever like to come down to my residence, you're most welcome. I have Sundays off." He grinned toothily. In fact, he was starting to scare me with the way he hardly ever blinked and kept his eyes really wide open.

"Th...thank you." I muttered uncertainly.

"Goodbye." Jacob smiled again and backed away into the woods, constantly facing our way.

"Yeah, bye." Edward slammed the window shut, with a little more force than was entirely necessary.

"Looks like you just got asked on a date, Bella." Alice smirked at me.

"That guy is a total freak." Edward glared at her.

"I thought he was pretty sweet," Alice persisted.

"Tchya. That's what they're all like, to begin with."

"Getting jealous are we?" Alice whispered, nudging him in the ribs. I don't think she meant for me to hear. Edward scowled at her.

"Ok, that's definitely enough action for one night." Rosalie tucked the triplets and twins into bed. "Time for you to go to sleep."

"Buh I want stowy!!" Marcus insisted.

"_Definitely_ enough of them for one night." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Buh...."

"_Pwease_ would you just tell us a stowy?" Caius demanded.

"Fine. One story." I agreed, settling down on the triple-seated sofa. "The rest of you can go if you like."

"Nah we'll stay. Tell you what, we'll all add to the story. Apart from Edward." Rosalie sat down on the loveseat opposite me, Emmett taking his place beside her. Edward and Alice sat on either side of me with Jasper on the end, next to Alice. They turned all the lights off so the children wouldn't get distracted by anything.

"Are you sitting comfortably?" I asked, smiling.

"Yesh!"

"We're laying actually." Jane corrected. I ignored her.

"Then I'll begin. Once upon a time...."

"There was a princess and a prince." Rose added.

"Called Edmund and Izzy." Alice finished, winking at me. I resisted the urge to smack her.

"They lived in a..." Jasper began.

"Castle, in the land of Sixth-form." Emmett continued. It seemed as if we'd established an order already.

"It was a strange land..."

"...filled with hormonal teenagers..."

"...and lots and lots of pink!" Alice shrugged.

"What does hormonal mean?" Alec asked.

"Errm...excited." Emmett grinned.

"Cawwy on!" Caius complained.

"Ok, ok. So anyway, one cloudy miserable day," Jasper started again.

"They decided to stay inside..."

"...at first, but they soon realised how boring and dim they were being..."

"...so Edmund took Izzy to a pwetty meadow which was surrounded by fairy dust so no rain could reach them."

"...while they were in the meadow, they started to play football..."

"...but the ball burst when it hit a random sharp piece of rock so everyone was miserable again..."

"My dwagon bust!" Aro mumbled.

"So anyway, they thought they might as well go back to Sixth-form..."

"...where they could hang out with their friends and play kiss chase..." Everyone turned to Rose. "What? Kids do that."

"...carrying on! Edmund decided to give Izzy the biggest kiss in the world on the..."

"EWWWW!" The children groaned in unison.

"...eyebrow." Emmett grinned. The story followed in similar fashion until it was so random and crazy that the kids had fallen asleep.

"And the ping pong ball lived happily ever after in his banana hammock with Fredrick forevermore." Emmett finished.

"The End."

* * *

**Haha had to put some reference to Sixth-form in there :D It's the equivalent of the two oldest years in high school methinks, whatever they're called. I don't think the Volturi will be in there much more, it was just these chapters that mainly revolved around them. It's all part of the Bella and Edward development. Unless you really want more mention of them, I agree they are super cute XD Anyway, please review because school sucks as usual and reviews make my day! Thankies XD**

**Harpz**

**xx**


	10. Breakfast at Mallory's

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters...meh...

**Thanks for all the reviews!! Sorry this took so long, I was limited to about a couple of hours on the computer seeing as they've blocked fanfiction at school *gasp* so unfortunately I'm stuck with my unreliable laptop. This is more of a filler chapter because the major funny part is coming next, but there's still plenty of action so it's not completely useless. Enjoy...**

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* * *

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Breakfast at Mallory's

My limbs rebelled as I struggled to sit up. Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains and the room was deathly quiet, apart from some strange snorting sound. I thumped my pillow, trying to make the oddly rigid thing more comfortable. It wouldn't budge so I thumped it some more, wriggling about on the bed. Damn pillow.

"Mpfgh..." The pillow emitted a weird noise. I froze. "Ugh..." Suddenly, it began to shift beneath me.

"What the…" I shot upright as realisation dawned upon me.

"Bella?" Ok, that was no pillow.

"Err….err…Edward?" I stuttered. _Aw_ _crap!_ I did not just fall asleep on top of Edward Cullen! I tried to avoid his gaze as I leant over to switch the lamp on. Instead, I ended up colliding with someone else. "Alice? Jazz?" Jasper turned the lights on. Each of the cottages were identical so it was hard to discern which one we were in, though I doubted anyone had moved us out of the Cullen's. Edward sat up on the sofa, stretching his arms out, and Rosalie and Emmett were still laying on the loveseat, Emmett snoring softly. The kids were also sprawled out across the floor, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Wow. I don't remember falling asleep." Alice rubbed her eyes.

"What time is it?" Edward yawned.

"1 o'clock in the morning," Jasper said, glancing at his watch. "How come our parents didn't wake us up?"

"They're probably talking in one of the other houses," Edward guessed. "It's not exactly that late." Sure enough, their cars were parked in the driveway.

"What?" Rosalie began to wake up and the moment she saw Emmett lying to next to her, she bolted off of the sofa.

"Rise and shining, Mr Emmett!" Edward grinned, pulling his brother off the seat. Emmett landed on the ground with a resounding thump.

"OW!" Emmett rubbed his butt. "What did you do that for!?"

"Hey, keep it down!" Alice ordered, dragging us towards the door. "Let the kids sleep. Come on, we'll go over to Bella's house." The night was cool and breezy as we crossed the path to our cottage. I noticed that Edward kept shifting his gaze towards me every now and then, but I tried to focus ahead of me. Meh, why did the embarrassing things always have to happen to me? Then again, it had happened to everyone. Ok, why did I always have to feel the worst about the embarrassing things that happened to me?

"I see you're up," Carlisle raised his eyebrows at us as we stepped into the house.

"Yep." Edward said absent-mindedly. "What time did you guys get home?"

"About 11." Tom admitted. "But we decided to let you lot be."

"It was just too cute!" Mum gushed. My cheeks reddened. Mums, eh?

"Well, I'm going to bed then." I began to trudge up the stairs, even though I didn't feel sleepy at all, after my earlier nap. I just needed time alone.

"Goodnight, Bella." Edward grinned up at me.

"Yeah...night..." I mumbled, before running into my room and screaming elatedly into my pillow. Now this was what pillows were for.

* * *

_The next day..._

**Lauren's POV**

"WHAT THE HELL DOES MY FATHER PAY YOU FOR!?" I yelled at my incompetent nincompoop of a housemaid, slamming the door shut behind me. This week had been absolutely terrible so far. First, I found out I had the stupid brats, Alec and Jane, dumped on me. Then, father decided to tell me that I _wouldn't_ be getting a new pony this year because apparently we've had to make cutbacks since the credit crunch. I mean, what the hell is that all about? Next thing I knew, I'd broken my nail when I thumped my wardrobe door in frustration. All that money I'd spent getting my nails manicured! Oh, and then there was that idiotic Isabella Swan and her whorish ways. I wretched at the thought of what she could have been doing to poor, man-candy Edward that day in the sports cupboard. Damn, did I want to rip her head off that day! No matter, I knew just how I was going to get my own back. I fluffed up my hair and pulled up my cleavage as I noticed Edward walking through the corridor.

"Mr Cullen!" I purred, smiling at him.

"Miss Mallory." He ruffled his hair a bit. Wow, he was so hot when he did that!

"How did you sleep?" I edged closer to him.

"Err...fine, thanks." He shrugged.

"Say, Edward. How would you like to join me for breakfast in the dining hall this morning?"

"I've already eaten." He said flatly. I knew he had to act like he didn't like me in front of Isabella, but his blatant obliviousness was really starting to get to me. Fine, he could play hard to get. He'd succumb to my devilish ways eventually. Every guy did, so why should Edward be any different?

"Oh, pish posh! I'm sure you have enough room for a couple more pancakes or so? You realise this is the morning when we invite all of our guests to dine with us?" It was some silly idea of father's. He said it would help them get to know each other and develop friendships. As if any of that was important!

"_All_ of your guests?" Edward seemed to perk up a bit. I tried to convince myself it was because he was glad of the moral support. I was aware of the way I made guys feel nervous when they were in my presence. Ah well, beauty can't be helped.

"Of course. As many as are able to spare some time." Luckily, the Swans hadn't turned up to one of our breakfasts in years so I could count on Isabella not being there.

"Well, thanks for the offer, Miss Mallory. I shall let my family know." Edward tried to move past me.

"Anytime," I winked suggestively. "Anything."

* * *

**Bella's POV**

"I can't believe you're actually dragging me along to this thing," I huffed as Alice adjusted my make-up.

"Blame Edward. He was the one that told our parents, and they dragged the rest of you into it as well."

"Yeah, at least we can suffer together." Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Ugh. Let's get this over with." We sauntered off to the castle dining hall in silence.

"Geez, how long does it take for you guys to get ready?" Jasper sighed, pulling out a seat beside him for Alice.

"Perfection takes time!" Rosalie stated matter-of-factly, settling down next to Emmett. Everyone was seated around a long, narrow mahogany table. Carlisle and Esme were sitting at the very end, next to Mum and Dad. Opposite them were Tom and Amy, Jasper and Alice, then a space, and then Edward. He gestured for me to come sit next to him, in the space, so I ended up opposite Rosalie. Various other holidaymakers occupied the rest of the table, though none in quite as big a group as us. Mr Mallory, the hotel owner sat at the head of the table, Lauren on his right hand side and what I assumed to be his wife, on the other side. Lauren glared at me as I took my place by Edward. I smiled back.

"I'm so glad you could all make it," Mr Mallory greeted us, standing up. "Many of you have been coming here for a very long time and I'm sure you have made friends during your stays so this is a perfect opportunity to catch up with each other as well as meeting our newest residents. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Dr Carlisle Cullen and his family who have joined us here for the very first time!" Carlisle nodded his head in appreciation. "I hope your visits to Uley prove to be memorable and enjoyable for you and your family. I'd also like to take this opportunity to inform you of our new facilities. Following feedback from last year, we have constructed a small children's play area near the mini golf course as well as jet streams within the indoor pool. Please feel free to make good use of our new features. Now without further ado, let the feasting begin!" A few butlers swarmed in through the doors carrying large silver platters containing various dishes. I accepted them without complaint but to be honest I wasn't really that hungry seeing as Mum had just made me a full English breakfast. The others were equally as reluctant so we only had about a croissant each.

"Is this guy always this boring?" Edward whispered to me as Mr Mallory began another speech about what the resort had to offer and the kind of wood trails we could embark upon.

"Yep." I grinned. "That's why we never come to this breakfast."

"Sorry about that, Lauren dragged me into it."

"I heard my name?" Lauren pulled a chair out for herself next to Rosalie.

"Oh, I was just telling Bella about how I ran into you this morning," Edward rolled his eyes.

"Ah yes, that was most fortunate. So Isabella, I must say I am surprised to see you here." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"It's Bella," Edward clarified.

"Sorry,_ Bella_." Lauren snorted.

"I am a visitor, is it a crime?" I asked.

"No, of course not. It's just that, you rarely come."

"We had a change of heart," Rosalie added, shifting her chair towards Emmett.

"I see. How convenient." Lauren said between gritted teeth.

"Very convenient," Edward grinned.

"Are you sure you don't want anything else to eat?" She leant over the able, facing Edward. "Your plate seems rather empty."

"No, thank you. I told you earlier, we've all eaten already."

"Must have slipped my mind." Lauren shrugged.

"Like everything else," Edward muttered under his breath. I nudged him playfully in the shoulder. Lauren seemed to notice our contact.

"Isabella, may I have a word with you outside?" She got out of her seat.

"_Bella_." Edward butted in again. I couldn't help but smile at how defensive he got when she called me Isabella deliberately.

"Whatever." Lauren huffed. "Well, can I?"

"Certainly," I smiled at her.

"Are you sure?" Edward gazed up at me, a worried look in his eyes.

"Yep." I took a deep breath, following Lauren out of the room. She led me into the living room and slammed the door shut.

"It's wrong, you know that," She placed her hands on her hips. Ugh, she was wearing that grotesque tartan mini skirt again.

"What's wrong?"

"The way you're taking advantage of Edward."

"And how exactly am I taking advantage of him?" I knew she was going to bring him up.

"By the things you do, and the things you say. Edward might not be able to see how you're literally throwing yourself at him but I can."

"Huh?"

"Like that day when you fell out of the sports cupboard, you were on top of him. I bet he didn't ask for that. Oh and just now, when you hit him."

"I did not hit him. I nudged him!" She was really staring to get on my nerves.

"Sure, that's what you want me to believe. Edward is too much of a gentleman to own up to the fact that he's being abused so I'm going to do it for him." Lauren scowled.

"You are unbelievable Lauren! I know you've hated me from the very beginning and you've just been looking for an excuse to have an argument with me, even if it involves something completely pointless. You really need to get your head sorted Mallory."

"How dare you!? How dare you speak to me like that!? I am the manager's daughter!" She fumed, her face beginning to turn a dark shade of red. I wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly burst out of her blouse and turned into a red version of the hulk. She definitely had the right attitude.

"How dare _you?_ The customer's always right, remember." I smirked at her.

"Is everything...err...alright, Bella?" Edward poked his head through the door.

"No, it's not alright!" Lauren whimpered.

"What's going on?" He shut the door behind him.

"It's ok, Lauren was just telling me about some of her _issues_. They're all sorted now." I grinned.

"Issues!?" Lauren yelled.

"She's having a hard time admitting them." I explained, edging towards the door.

"I understand." I think Edward had already picked up on what the argument was about from the way Lauren was looking at him. "Hey, can we go now?"

"Sure." We side-stepped out of the door before Lauren could compose herself.

"What was that really about?" Edward asked as we strolled out onto the lawn.

"She thinks I'm taking advantage of you," I admitted. It was better that he knew.

"Seriously?"

"Yep." I nodded. Edward burst out laughing.

"Ok, I get what you mean about issues!" He shook his head. "Wow, at least you don't have to pretend to get on with her. She's so forward with me, it's sick."

"Well, what can I say? I sure know how to get on people's bad sides."

"Lucky you. Anyway, fancy making a horror film?"

"That was random."

"Yeah. Jasper has to make a film as part of his media project or something and we thought it would be a good idea if we could make it tonight. He has enough characters, plus Alice can do wardrobe, Rosalie can do hair and make-up and Emmett wants to film. We could help him with the storyline, if you want?"

"Sure. Sounds like fun!" I grinned. This should be interesting...

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**Ok so the next chapter is going to be the film and that was mainly what I wanted to focus on so I decided to make the morning bit up at the last minute. My internet's going a bit funny at the moment so I can't promise it'll be up within the week but I shall do my best. I'd also like to take this opportunity to mention how pleasantly surprised I was by Dr Seuss' Horton hears a who! I'm only telling you because I must tell somebody and I haven't spoken to my friends in like a day...possibly because it's the weekend but anyhow...yeah it's great! Mainly because I'm in love with Jojo, the cutest emo kid ever! Wow, I must sound really sad lol. It is funny though and Jim Carrey is great XD Ok, enough of my ranting. That was random.**

**Please review :D**

**Harpz**

**xx**


	11. Rise of the Undead

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but lasagne is great :D

**Wow epic delay! I'm sorry, I just got so little time on the computer! Oh and I was reading the Host which is actually AMAZING!!! So if you haven't read it, then you MUST!! It is like the epitome of awesomeness...well in my opinion, anyway. I was just totally hooked! I haven't made up my mind whether it's better than Twilight yet but it's brilliant in its own way and completely different :) Stephenie Meyer sure knows how to create gorgeous love interests because damn is Jared **_**hot**_**! LOL mainly because he reminds me so much of Jared Leto but there we go. Ok enough of my gushing, on with the story...**

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Rise of the Undead

"Emmett, would you shut up?" Edward swatted him in the back of the head. Emmett had been making weird 'woo' noises ever since we came outside, as well as attempting to imitate the wind and creaking doors.

"They're sound effects, man!" Emmett groaned, rubbing his head.

"We haven't even started filming yet!"

"I'm just testing my vocal chords. You know, seeing what magic this baby can produce." He stroked his throat rather disturbingly. Edward just glared at him.

"Ok, guys. The second scene is going to be shot by the entrance of the castle," Jasper called from ahead. "Emmett, I want a panoramic view of Edward driving up in the Volvo, but first we're going to film their conversation inside of the car." He had even brought out a plastic chair for himself, to emphasise the fact that he was the director.

"Is all this really necessary?" Rosalie asked.

"Of course, I might as well look the part," Jasper flipped his cap backwards. "Seeing as you all do." Rosalie groaned as she inspected her outfit. She was wearing one of Carlisle's white medical jackets and her face was covered in talcum powder. Edward and I had discussed ideas for the film earlier, and we'd decided to make something that was based upon stereotypical old horror movies. Edward and I would be the unsuspecting couple who were to visit a supposedly abandoned castle because they were lost, where we would encounter Rosalie and Emmett; they were two cannibalistic doctors who were meant to have died over a century ago. Jasper was going to take over the filming when Emmett was playing his part. Alice was to play the part of one their old victims who continued to haunt the castle and disturb the visitors. It was a little clichéd and not particularly original but it would be fun to make and we had a lot to add.

"Ok, first scene." Edward sat in the driver's seat and I took shotgun as Emmett and Jasper piled in the back. Rosalie and Alice stood outside the windows with flashlights.

"What do you want these for?" Rosalie asked.

"Sweep them across the windows every now and then so it looks like they're still driving."

"Fine," Rose rolled her eyes.

"Just improvise guys. Action." Jasper gave the two outside a thumbs-up and slapped a clapperboard stating 'Scene 1: Lost, Take 1,' in front of the screen as Emmett rolled the camera.

"How long is this going to take?" I sighed, slumping in my seat. Edward twisted the steering wheel.

"I don't know," He shrugged. "You tell me. You're the one who told me to take the left at the junction."

"That's because you missed the last one!" I let anger seep into my voice. It felt weird to be arguing with Edward but it was all part of the act. We were meant to be having a domestic. "It's not my fault your SatNav doesn't work."

"My SatNav works fine, it's just not used to changes in the plan." He glared at me. I couldn't help the feeling of unease that followed.

"It's your cousins we're visiting, you should remember the route."

"Well it's too late now, isn't it!? We're lost."

"Not. My. Fault." I scowled back at him.

"Geez, can we not go anywhere without having an argument?"

"Maybe, if you would pay attention to the road and listen to me every now and again."

"I'm sorry, ok?"

"Whatever." I found it hard to stay mad at him. "Just pull up for a second so I can get the map out the back."

"Fine." Edward fiddled about with the gear stick.

"And, cut!" Jasper whispered. "I'll add a few sound effects in but that worked pretty well. I don't think we need to do it again. Scene two." All of us except for Edward got out of the car and stood back as Edward drove up to the entrance of the castle slowly. They didn't need me in the car at this point, as they were only focussing on the outside. Emmett zoomed out with the camera as the car came to a halt.

"Rosalie you were in the bloody shot!" Jasper smacked his head. "Take two."

"Oops." Rose grinned, coming to stand by me as Edward sighed, turned the car around and began up the driveway again. The filler scenes were shot fairly quickly after that; Edward and I notice the castle and decide to ask for directions.

"Why don't you come in?" Emmett purred, a slimy grin on his face. He peeked out of the side of the castle door, dressed similarly to Rosalie. "I'm sure you must be awfully tired after your long journey. Allow me to accommodate you as you rest awhile." Edward and I exchanged a confused glance before following Emmett through the door. Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs then, smoothing down her white coat.

"Ah, Rosetta!" Emmett boomed, holding out his hand as she descended the spiral staircase. "This is my wife. Rose, these are our...guests."

"How delectable," She smiled. "Can I offer you something to eat?"

"I'm sure you must be hungry." Emmett licked his lips. "I know I am."

"Emmett!" Rose nudged him in the ribs. He wasn't meant to give anything away yet. "Nothing better than an Italian at this time of night, eh _Bella_?" He grinned toothily as Rosalie shot him another look.

"Italian?" Jasper butted in, pausing the tape.

"Oh come on, it's funny!"

"Fine." Jasper rolled the camera again.

"Ah, we love Italian food, don't we Bella?" Edward raised his eyebrows at me, trying to hide a smile.

"Indeed. Lasagne is Edward's favourite." I decided to play along.

"Lasagne, how nice. So many...layers." Rosalie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Oh yes, we shall have fun piling it up, shan't we Rosetta?" Emmett placed his arm around her shoulders.

"But of course, Ebenezer." She replied. "That part is always the most satisfying."

"Ok, enough on the lasagne." Jasper cut in again. "You do realise I'm getting graded on this." Rosalie muffled her giggles. "Action."

"Let us go forth to the room of dining!" Emmett gestured towards a door on the left and led us through. Jasper filmed a few shots of the room, saying he'd edit them in later for effect and began again as we sat down at the table.

"I'm afraid we'll have to leave you for a moment." Rosalie pushed Emmett back out of the room. "Please make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, so much." Edward smiled. "Aren't they lovely?"

"Most hospitable," I agreed. Suddenly Alice burst through the door, a sheet draped over her shoulders. Her make-up was quite remarkable I had to admit. Her face took on a slightly purple sheen and her eyes appeared to be completely sunken. Edward and I jumped accordingly.

"Wh....who are you?" Edward jolted upright, knocking his chair backwards.

"I....am....the ghost of christma...I mean....Pierre." She replied in a monotone, with the hint of a French accent.

"Pierre?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Oui. They like to dine the French way at le weekends." She slid forwards until she had us backed into the corner.

"What....do you mean...exactly, by that?" Edward stuttered.

"I think you already know." Her eyes bulged. "Le gasp! They are coming for you!" Emmett emphasised the sound of his footsteps in the corridor as Alice pretended to melt to the floor, before hiding under the table.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about all of this..." I edged towards the door that Alice had come through.

"I know you're hungry, they'll be back in a bit." Edward pretended to remain completely oblivious.

"Not that! The way Pierre just disappeared into thin air right before our eyes. Don't you find that a little odd in the least?"

"Nope." Edward pursed his lips. "Pierre, be it a he, she or hermaphrodite is obviously a skilled magician."

"Hermaphrodite!?" Alice hissed from under the table. Edward winked at her.

"Edward, I think something fishy is going on."

"Did someone mention fish?" Emmett swung the door open and stood before us, his eyes piercing.

"Bella was just observing that...err...this rooms smells slightly fishy..." Edward improvised. Emmett covered the distance between us in two long strides.

"Terribly sorry." He mumbled. "Our last _guests_ were fishermen from Scotland. They practically lived off of the cold-blooded creatures. Proved to be a refreshing snack nevertheless."

"Naturally." I mumbled as my character began to grow more suspicious.

"Do you think that Rosetta will want a hand with the lasagne?" Edward asked.

"Of course! They provide a slightly crunchier texture." Emmett responded immediately. "Err...perhaps I should go check on how she's doing?"

"It would certainly put our minds at rest."

"Excellent. We can conserve so much more when blood pressure is low. If you try to resist, it can often get quite messy and then a lot goes wasted in the struggle."

"Sorry?" I piped in.

"The...err...asparagus." Emmett corrected himself hurriedly and strode out of the room.

"Now do you get what I was on about?" I whispered to Edward, as soon as Emmett's footsteps began to fade.

"Indeed, I do. I fear for our lives, Bella!"

"Then we must escape at once!" I grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him out of the dining room before sprinting down the corridors. Jasper ran too, claiming that the filming would seem much more realistic.

"And where do you think you're going?" Rosalie stepped out in front of us, holding out her arms.

"We just wanted to...freshen up." I smiled half-heartedly.

"Marvellous! Do go ahead!"

"We shall." We slowed as we approached her, and then legged it out of the back entrance to the castle.

"What now?" Edward panted dramatically.

"We keep running?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

"Ah yes!" I narrowed my eyes at him. Suddenly, Edward slid to a halt. Jasper turned the camera off.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to pinpoint what he was staring at.

"There..." Something bounded towards us in the distance.

"What's going on?" Alice appeared behind us.

"I....err... a dog?" A large German Shepherd stopped a few metres away, eyeing us warily.

"D...dog?" Jasper choked.

"Ah." This was no ordinary dog. Well, it was, it just held a little more significance for Jasper and I.

"Don't tell me that's who I think it is?" Rosalie and Emmett joined us as Jasper cringed.

"Please. No." He began to back away. The dog bared his teeth.

"Paul!?" Rosalie grinned. Paul looked up at the mention of his name.

"CRAP!" Jasper ducked indoors before the dog could make a move and glared at him from the porch window.

"What's up with him?" Emmett wondered aloud.

"Remember that story I told you a few nights ago, about the truth and dare game we played with Jasper some years back?"

"Yes..." Edward seemed to have figured it out though Emmett remained clueless.

"This is the dog that Jasper accidentally threw the lemonade over and then got chased by. He's called Paul." I explained.

"And he still has nightmares!" Rosalie laughed.

"Oh!" Emmett chuckled and bent down to pat Paul on the head but the dog growled, causing Emmett to jump back.

"He's not the friendliest of creatures."

"I gathered."

"Go home Paul!" Rosalie asserted, pointing in the opposite direction. Paul barked and sprinted off. "You've just got to be firm, that's all." She shrugged as Emmett stared at her admirably.

"Err....is it gone?" Jasper poked his head out the window.

"Yes, he's gone. You can come out now." Rosalie sighed. Jasper edged through the doorway and ruffled his hair awkwardly.

"I think we've done enough filming for one night..." He mumbled.

"What!? But we haven't even gorged upon their remains yet!" Emmett protested.

"Don't be such a spoil sport Jazz!" Rosalie smacked him round the head.

"Fine, we'll shoot one more scene. Edward, Bells, just run towards the oak tree and Emmett and Rosalie can appear from behind it and jump them. We'll end it there. I don't really want to be out here for much longer."

"Awww, Jazzy get a bit of a fright did he?" Emmett grinned.

"Leave him alone!" Alice glared at her brother. "Come on then, let's shoot this!"

Jasper stood by the pool as Edward and I ran towards the tree manically.

"Phew! That was close!" He wiped his forehead.

"I know, right?" Rosalie and Emmett jumped out from behind the tree carrying knives and forks. We screamed.

"We would've preferred it if you'd just kept still but I suppose a chase makes the hunt so much more enjoyable. Don't you agree, darling?" Emmett smiled.

"Oh yes, indeed." Rosalie batted her eyelashes as they advanced on us.

"Ladies first....."

"And....CUT!" Jasper exclaimed. "That was great, guys!"

"Well, they do say I'm a natural!" Emmett boasted, absentmindedly swinging his arm over Rosalie's shoulders. She stiffened in surprise.

"Of course they do." Alice rolled her eyes as she watched Jasper pack his filming equipment away. "So, have you got a name for the film yet?"

"I dunno." Jasper shrugged. "I was thinking something along the lines of 'Rise of the Undead.'"

"Speaking of the undead..." I murmured, spinning round.

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**Please review and i'll try to get typing asap! Oh and read the host too if you haven't! Kthx**

**Harpz xx**


	12. Italian with the Freak

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any dogs

**Hey again and thanks for all the great reviews! I may not be able to update for a few weeks now so I thought I'd fit one more chapter in before I went on holiday. Enjoy and as always please review at the end. I want this story to beat my other one because I prefer this one by miles but to be honest numbers don't matter to me, the reviews just make my day! Thanks for reading!

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Italian with the Freak

"_Speaking of the undead..." I murmured, spinning round._

"Ugh..." Edward rolled his eyes as the figure walked towards us.

"MISS!!" He chirped, that creepy smile lighting up his face.

"Hey, Jacob!" I grinned at the look of disgust that crossed Edward's face as Jacob greeted me. "Oh, and it's Bella."

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Jacob seemed to think I was grinning at him.

"Not the word I'd use." Edward mumbled under his breath. I nudged him playfully in the shoulder.

"Yes. What are you doing here, Jacob?"

"Oh, I was just on one of my late night patrols. I noticed you guys had a video camera."

"We've been making a film," Jasper nodded.

"Ah. That was what I was afraid of." Jacob pursed his lips. "I'm guessing you haven't read the new terms and conditions of the resort?"

"Err...no. We haven't." Emmett narrowed his eyes at him.

"We've banned all filming on the immediate premises."

"Since when?" Rosalie stepped forward.

"Since now. Like I said, they're _new_ terms and conditions." Jacob shook his head as if we were missing the obvious. "I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate your camera."

"WHAT!?" Jasper's eyes bulged.

"Not my rules. I'm just here to enforce them."

"But I _need_ this camera! I'm getting graded on this film!"

"Well, then I'll just take the tape. Make your film somewhere else." Jacob shrugged indifferently.

"Look, Jacob..." I began.

"Call me Jake, Bella." He turned to smile at me again.

"Ok, Jake. Can you not just let this one go, seeing as we were unaware of the rules? Just this once?" If he really did like me, as Alice had thought, I was pretty sure I would be able to persuade him to let us off.

"I dunno." He seemed torn. "Mr Mallory hired me for this summer as a trial. If he finds out, I'll have no chance of making this a more permanent thing."

"He won't find out! We're all done on the filming, I promise, so he won't ever see the camera."

"How can I be so sure?"

"Sure of what?"

"That I can trust you guys." Jake glared at Edward.

"You trust _me_, don't you Jake?" I grinned at him.

"Well, yeah. But it's not your camera."

"Isn't there anything we could do to make you change your mind?"

"Well..." He considered this for a second. "I suppose there is something. But it's something only you can do." The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

"Why Bella?" Edward stiffened beside me.

"Because she's the only one I _trust_." Damn. I wished I'd never said anything.

"What do you need me to do?" I took a deep breath, suddenly feeling very nervous.

"Can I speak to you alone?" Jacob began to look a little smug - probably regarding Edward's obvious discomfort with the way this conversation was going.

"Err....ok." I walked towards him slowly and stopped when I was about a metre away.

"You know tomorrow is Sunday?" Jacob leaned forward.

"Um....yes." I had a feeling I knew where he was going with this.

"Well, Sundays are my day off."

"You mentioned that before, yes."

"I get a little lonely, down in the cottage, all on my own." Jacob bit his lip.

"You mentioned that too." I gulped.

"So I was wondering...."

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**Edward's POV**

_The next morning..._

"What kind of a moron takes a girl he barely knows, out to an Italian restaurant for breakfast?" I smacked the banister in frustration. "And did I mention she's only FIFTEEN!?"

"Yes, Edward. You've said that about five million times already!" Alice sighed.

"You do realise Jacob's about your age. You get on with Bella fine." Emmett shrugged.

"Yeah, you never seem to care about _that_ age difference." Alice raised her eyebrows at me, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"That's.....different...." I struggled for words. "I've known Bella for ages. Well, I've known of her anyway. This Jacob guy is a complete freak!"

"He seemed sweet enough to me."

"SWEET!? They all seem _sweet_ to begin with! Have you never seen the Hot Fuzz? The people in that village are all _sweet_ but they turn out to be maniacal psychopaths! This village isn't that different from that one."

"You're overreacting, Ed."

"I'm not!"

"Bella can take care of herself, you know." Rosalie interjected, standing by Emmett.

"No she can't." I muttered.

"If she was as naïve as you make her out to be, she wouldn't have turned down the offer to have breakfast at his house. She knew it would be safer to be in a public place which is why she chose the restaurant."

"And she is doing me a major favour," Jasper added. "Without her, I would fail media studies."

"Not exactly." Alice whispered.

"What?"

"I spoke to the reception earlier on. There was no change to the terms and conditions. They think it's great that we set our film here."

"Dog boy lied!" I gasped. "This was all part of his master plan! I told you he was a weirdo! All he wanted was to properly ask Bella out on a date all along, and he planned this so that there was no way she could say no!"

"Calm down, Eddie." Emmett grinned.

"No, I will not calm down! And my name is _not_ Eddie!" I growled.

"Why do you even care so much? So he likes her, what's the big deal? At least he did something about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I glared at my brother.

"Oh come off it, Edward. We all know you like Bella. You make it almost as obvious as she does." They were all smirking at me now. I froze as the colour rushed to my cheeks.

"I...err...I..."

"Don't try to deny it. Your little outburst was proof enough, plus the fact that you're blushing." Alice winked. "And a part of me has known it all along."

"I'm not blushing..." I sank into the staircase. Was she right? Did I like Bella? Well, of course I liked her, I just didn't realise I liked her so much. Crap, was I that obvious?

"It's ok, we won't tell her. Unless you want me to?" Alice smiled innocently.

"No." I scowled at her, still trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Fine." She huffed, clearly disappointed. I cheered up slightly.

"As cute as this is, we really should get a move on." Emmett interrupted.

"What?" My head snapped up.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go get her!"

**BPOV**

"So, you know what I did? I took the poor little mutt straight to the RSPCA and they let me keep him! Can you believe that!? They let me keep little Jared! Finally, Seth had someone to play with and Paul from the farm opposite seemed to get on with him really well too. Soon after that, Emily gave birth to Quil, Embry, Collin and Brady and I found the stray, Leah, as well. And now we're all one big happy family. Leah seems to have a little trouble fitting in, she fights a lot, especially with Sam, but we're past the main biting stage now..." Jacob rattled on. I yawned quietly as he continued to tell me all about his strange family of dogs. He seemed like a nice enough guy but he still gave me the creeps, and his stories weren't exactly helping. I couldn't get a single word in edgeways. At least I had my pasta to keep me vaguely conscious. "So yeah basically, that's how I came to have them all. Apart from Paul obviously, because he's not mine. Farmer Giles found him while he was wandering the woods one day..."

**EPOV**

"Stop that!" Alice flicked the menu out of my hands. "That is so conspicuous!" The five of us had come down to the restaurant that Bella and Jacob were at. It wasn't hard to find, there was only one restaurant in the village. Emmett thought it would be much more fun if we could play detective instead of walking right in and taking Bella. We'd taken a table near the back of the restaurant, somewhere Jacob and Bella wouldn't bother looking but we had a clear view of them. I had been attempting to hide my face with one of the menus.

"Sorry, I'm just....nervous."

"Relax, they won't see us."

"So you keep telling me. Hey, what's he doing?" I held my breath as Jacob leaned towards Bella. Why that little...

"He's passing her a napkin, Edward." Jasper rolled his eyes. My gaze fell upon the white tissue in his hands. Emmett snickered.

"Oh."

"And now he's offering her some orange juice."

"I don't need the running commentary, Jazz! I can see!"

"Ok, I just wanted to make sure you didn't get the wrong impression again."

"Yeah, I mean you could find an innuendo in anything." Emmett said.

"What's the innuendo in offering orange juice?" I asked, still a little irritated at how close Jacob was to Bella. "Actually, on second thoughts, don't tell me." I stopped him as soon as I saw the cheeky grin cross his face.

"Are you ready to order?" A tall and extremely familiar dark-haired man asked us.

"Eleazar!?"

"Edward! I didn't see you there!" He replied, equally as shocked. Alice smacked the menu from my hands again.

"What are you doing here, man?"

"Oh, my cousins lives here and my mother forced me to stay with them for the entire holidays so I thought I might as well get a summer job. It's horrible living in a house of girls for that long." He grimaced. "What about you?"

"We're just staying at a resort nearby. This is quite a big coincidence!" Eleazar was a good friend of mine from secondary school.

"Yeah, I know! So can I take you order?"

"Well actually, we've already eaten." I admitted.

"Huh?"

"We have an ulterior motive. Hey, how do you feel about spying on someone for us?"

"Who?"

"See that girl over there, with the big scary farmer guy? Just please keep an eye on them for us and give us regular updates. We'll order if you want and leave you a nice big tip?"

"Sure!" He grinned. "I won't ask for any details."

"It's nothing major. She's just a friend and we don't trust him."

"He does look a bit intimidating," Eleazar agreed. "What can I bring you then?"

"Lasagne?" Rosalie asked, giving me a pointed look.

"Cool. I'll be right back!" He trotted off towards the kitchen.

"Did you have to drag the poor guy into it?" Alice said, disapprovingly.

"He owes me." I shrugged. "Plus, Eleazar would never give up the opportunity to spy on someone."

"I suppose it's nice having someone on our side."

"Wait, what's dog boy doing now?"

**BPOV**

"You have an eyelash on your cheek," Jacob leaned in to wipe it off. I was a bit uncomfortable with the new proximity but before he could get any closer, a yelp from the corner froze him. Both our heads snapped towards the sound and I gasped as I saw Edward standing up by the table, looking a bit bewildered. What was he doing here?

"Edward?"

"Err....hi." He shifted awkwardly.

"Great." Jake glowered at him. "Do you mind, we're trying to have breakfast here?"

"Well....actually, I do mind." Edward took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. His words surprised me.

"This is really none of your business." Jacob insisted, standing up. He was a little taller but Edward seemed unperturbed.

"Anything to do with Bella is my business." However unsure Edward was at first, he was the image of the confidence now. Again, his words made my heart thump spasmodically.

"Since when?" Jacob demanded.

"Apparently, quite a long time ago. But we'll just say as of now."

"Erm...Edward?" One of the waiters edged towards him. "Could you guys..uh...possibly take this outside. I'd rather you not get into trouble."

"That's fine," Edward assured him. "We were just going." Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie appeared behind him, Alice wearing a somewhat satisfied smile. They were all here? "Come on, Bells."

"Me?" I croaked.

"Yeah, we're taking you home."

"But...the camera?"

"He couldn't confiscate it if he tried. Tell her Jacob, there are no new rules. This was all just some plot to get her on a date."

"Jake?" I looked up at him, surprise colouring my tone. He smiled back sheepishly. "You didn't!"

"Well..." He giggled nervously.

"Let's go, Edward." I rose from my seat and followed him out the door.

"Bella, wait!" Jacob protested, coming after me.

"Err sir, I believe you have yet to pay?" The waiter grinned at us before turning to a resigned Jacob. Jake huffed and slumped in his seat. Maybe someday, after I'd gotten over the anger I felt right now, I would find it in myself to feel a little sorry for him. Maybe. Maybe not.

"So how was breakfast?" Jasper tried to hide a smile.

"Delightful."

**There it is! No cliffie this time because the suspense will drag out too long. I thought i'd also let you know that this story will probably be coming to an end soon, I don't how long there will be left but i just thought I'd warn you. I can't seem to let this one go lol. I'll let you know closer to the time but there's still plenty left, I can assure you. PLEASE REVIEW!!! Kthx**

**Harpz**

**xx**


	13. Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or a duck

**HELLO! I know, it's been forever and to be honest, I don't really have an excuse for not updating - apart for exams and being totally lazy hehe :P I wouldn't be surprised if no one's reading this, I wouldn't expect people to have stuck around for that long. If you are however, i admire your persistence and if you're new then hi :D I won't bore you with anything else because it's been long enough so without a further million years of delay...**

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Chapter 13: Revelations

"Bella, get ready!" Jasper called back at me as Emmett managed to dribble the football past Rosalie. Damn. Why had they put _me_ in goal? _Me_ of all people? I braced myself as Emmett stopped short in front of me, grinning before kicking the ball lightly. Meh, it went straight through my legs.

"Well done Bella!" Emmett ruffled my hair teasingly. "Now it's what, twenty-nil?"

"We can't play with such unfair teams," I glared at him.

"Unfair? There's three of you against me! And Edward helps out a little I suppose."

"Yeah, though Bella and Rose combined hardly count as one." Jasper smirked as Rosalie smacked him in the back of the head.

"True. But Alice is about as effective as a duck. So technically, it's two-a-side. That sounds fair to me."

"I'll have you know ducks can be very effective." Alice skipped over, looking a little annoyed. Just then I felt a large droplet of water splat on my face. Great, rain. And there was me thinking we were actually going to manage to have one week in Uley without it raining. It was just inevitable I suppose. Though at least it stopped the game; that made me feel a little better.

"Aah, my hair's going to go all frizzy!" Jasper shrieked, running to take cover under the oak tree.

"Stop being such a wuss, Jazz! It's not even raining much!" Rosalie spoke too soon. Suddenly, the sky just erupted and we were soaked within a matter of seconds.

"Aw, crap!" Emmett huffed as we all ran to join Jasper. He was already patting his hair down. Some guys are just so vain! I wouldn't have been surprised if he happened to carry a mirror and comb in his pocket.

"Here Rose, hold this for me," Jasper handed her a shiny object. Well, what did I know?

"This doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon." Edward sighed, staring out at the monsoon-like weather. The oak tree provided a pretty good cover considering, only the odd drop could get through.

"Well, I'm not staying out here." Emmett pulled up his hood. "Coming, Rose?"

"Yeah, might as well. I'd rather not freeze." They both turned towards the cottages.

"Ready, set, go!" Rosalie screamed as the rain battered down on them but they managed to find cover soon enough. The rest of us decided to wait it out rather than joining them; they probably wanted some 'alone' time seeing as this was our penultimate full day here, we'd be leaving early Tuesday morning. They lived so far apart that it would be some time before they saw each other again. As I leaned against the tree, I became immediately aware of Edward standing right next to me. For once, I managed to maintain my composure. I guess being around him so much had calmed me down a bit.

"So..." He began. "I can't believe the week's gone so quickly."

"I know, it's Sunday already. I'm going to miss this place, well, I always miss this place."

"Hmmm. Anyway, back to school in just over a week!" He smirked down at me. I froze. I'd been desperately hoping that he wouldn't bring this up, but as usual, fate had something against me and I suppose I was due my daily dose of extreme embarrassment.

"Yep. School." I tried to keep it as short as possible, hoping he'd drop the subject.

"Looking forward to it?" _Hell yeah_, I thought. _Spending another year with you, what more could I ask for?_

"No."

"Really, how come?" _Damn._

"You know; work, early mornings, exams. The usual. Who wants to go back to that?" Wow, my skills of deception really were improving. That was half believable.

"But you get to see your friends again, right? That's gotta be good."

"I suppose. This is going to be a harder year though, the horrors of GCSEs."

"Aha, fun. I'm so glad they're over! A-levels aren't much better though..."

"At least you're only doing four subjects. I'm sure you're great at maths and music and..." _Oh Sugar-Honey-Iced-Teacakes!_ I bit my lip before I could let anything else slip. I knew this was bound to happen! The moment I start speaking too much, something stupid always seems to find its way out of my mouth. Naturally, I knew exactly what subjects Edward was taking, not because of Alice or Emmett, but due to my freakishly successful stalking ability. Who am I kidding, what _didn't_ I know about Edward? He just wasn't aware of how informed I was. That was clear the moment he raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, my maths is pretty good." He suddenly grinned, letting it go. Ah, I really loved that guy sometimes. Well, pretty much all the time. Hold on a second, did I just say _love_? I considered this for a moment. Did I really love Edward Cullen? I knew I had a crush on him, the magnitude of which was humanely incomprehensible, but love? We had gotten to know each other pretty well in the last five days and I couldn't deny that I felt more strongly for him now than I had ever done before. This wasn't just a crush based upon his unbelievable attractiveness anymore. I knew him now and I _did_ love him. Of course I loved him. I was in love with Edward Cullen.

Meh, so many girls must have had that same thought way before me. Why did he have to be so amazing? I found myself ardently despising the girls who had had the incredible fortune to be in his classes. They'd known him a long time before I had, and he knew them better too. With a sharp pang of guilt I realised that I _had_ gotten my hopes up, despite telling myself not to. Now that I thought about it, Edward's actions towards me hadn't changed so much since the day he first kicked that football into the back of my head. He was concerned then too, and thoughtful. I guess that was just Edward. Obviously, he'd become a little more relaxed around me since then – we actually knew each other now, but was our relationship really that abnormal? Then again, I couldn't help ignoring the way he'd spoken up at the restaurant and how he'd said _I_ was _his_ business. I smiled internally as I remembered how jealous he'd become when Jacob asked me out. And also, there was that new-founded stuttering he had seemed to have recently developed. That was definitely not normal behaviour. Not for Edward Cullen. I could confidently have counted us as friends now. That was so much more than I'd ever hoped for, but suddenly that didn't seem like enough. The familiar cliché came to mind – so close and yet so far. I thought about that now, he was literally right next to me. That phrase had never been truer. I wanted so badly to just reach out to him and close that distance but that would be terribly inappropriate.

He ruffled his hair beside me, shaking out the raindrops. His concentrated expression did strange things to my already exhausted heart. The poor thing – I'd put it through so much in the past year, but that was nothing compared to this week. I'd be better off running a marathon. Ok, perhaps not. I'd trip over _way_ too much. I tried to keep my eyes from wandering towards his drenched t-shirt. His skin was almost visible beneath it..._woah, Bella! Stop right there._ I gulped. My sudden impulsiveness amused me. I used to be such a quiet, reserved kid. And here, the presence of one regular guy – ok, so Edward was not that regular, but still – had turned me into a crazed hormonal savage. Come to think of it, he was pretty muscular. Not quite like Emmett - his size freaked me out a little - but Edward was not far off. He was...perfect. _Ok, seriously, stop looking at his shirt now!_ I'd never paid this much attention to his body before, his face was usually enough to paralyse me. He looked up then. "So, I don't know if Alice has told you yet, but she may be coming to our school."

"What!" He was trying to change the subject. It worked. "Seriously?" My self-contemplation would have to wait until later.

"Yep!" Alice skipped over with Jasper. "We'd been considering it for ages but after we met you, I was sure. The place has been open for some time but the school were just waiting for us to accept."

"That's great, Alice!" Having Alice around was definitely going to make coming back to school more exciting – more exciting than it already was, that is.

"I know, right? And plus..." She lowered her voice so only I could hear. "Jasper's thinking of coming to the university nearby. How cool is that!"

"Most triumphantly cool..." I mimicked her hushed tones.

"Speaking of cool..." Edward grinned. Damn, why was his hearing so good? Perhaps we just weren't as inconspicuous as we'd hoped. "...the rain's stopped so we can go back out! I told you it was just a passing shower."

"Ah, what?" Emmett huffed, coming towards us. He was carrying a rather large parasol.

"What's that for?" Jasper raised his eyebrows at him.

"You know, for the _rain_. You can all fit under this!"

"It's a parasol, Emmett."

"Yeah, and?" Emmett's face wore that usual confused expression.

"Never mind, Emmy. Never mind." Edward smirked. "Go put it away. We can carry on with the football."

"Err...Edward..." Alice edged. "Do we have to? This game's not really going anywhere. You and Emmett have obviously won. Could we do something a little more interesting?" Ok, I loved Alice just as much as Edward. In a sister-ly way. _Who knows?_ That annoying hopeful voice in my head chimed. _She may be your sister-in-law yet._ Well, I guess I had _her_ on my side at least. That was something none of the other girls had – and Alice was one heck of a force to be reckoned with. I smiled at that.

"Like what?" Edward looked at me questioningly. This smile wasn't so internal.

"Swimming! Let's go swimming!" Alice began jumping up and down.

"Oh yeah, that'd be great!" I couldn't deny that swimming was the only sport I really enjoyed.

"Sure!" Edward gave in straight away. Ok, that was weird. Alice grinned at us both, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Chop chop, then!" She nudged Edward and Jasper towards the cottages. "Go get changed."

"Yeah right, like _we're_ the ones who take ages," Edward scoffed. After earning a deadly glare from Alice, he argued no more and dragged Jasper along with him. I was definitely glad she was on my side.

"So, interesting exchange there, don't you think?" She giggled as we walked towards the cottages, keeping a large distance between the boys and ourselves.

"What do you mean?" I tried to keep my voice indifferent. No more hope. Wow, that almost sounded emo. Jasper was rubbing off on me.

"Ok, I'm going to tell you something." Her voice was just a whisper. She waited until the boys were inside the cottages before she continued. "Actually, maybe this isn't the best place. There are windows everywhere." Alice looked around conspiratorially. "Let me just go grab my stuff, we'll talk at yours." With that, she skipped off next-door and returned moments later with her swimming bag. Rosalie strolled up to us then.

"Hey, 'sup guys?" She was grinning wildly as we went up the stairs to my room.

"We could ask you the same..." And then Alice added, closing the door, "Or if it's involving my brother, then maybe I'd prefer not to know."

"Well, it is involving your brother. But it's nothing that bad." Rose sighed, collapsing onto my bed. "It's actually very good."

"So..." I prompted for her to continue. She sat up cross-legged.

"Emmett just told me that...that he loved me!" Rosalie breathed. Alice and I looked at each other for a second, then suddenly the room was filled with squealing.

"Oh my god!" Alice cried, wrapping her arms around us both.

"That is so amazing, Rose!" I added.

"Wow, I never expected Emmett to be so romantic."

"Yeah, I wasn't really expecting it either. That's why it came as such a shock." Rosalie clutched at her heart melodramatically.

"So, what did you say?" Alice pressed, eager to know everything.

"That I loved him too, of course." Rose rolled her eyes, as if were completely missing the obvious. "I mean, I know it's only been five days but I'm just sure he's the one, you know? He's perfect for me!"

"I'm so happy for you!" I hugged her again. Was that a hint of sadness I detected in my voice? Of course I was happy for her, I guess I just wished I were as lucky.

"Yeah, me too! I still can't get over the fact that Emmett did it. He was certainly not the brother I was expecting to make that revelation first."

"What do you mean?" That insane hope was suddenly very present in my head. I quashed it immediately. Alice had made no indication that that comment was directed towards me.

"Ah...well, that was actually what I was going to talk to you about." Alice bit her lip, trying to contain some hidden emotion, but her eyes were gleaming.

"You mean you haven't told her yet?" Rosalie's expression was very similar.

"In all fairness, he did tell me not to."

"Yeah, but when has that ever stopped you?"

"I know, I know, which is why I was going to tell her anyway. I just didn't get the chance. You know how annoyingly observant he is. I had to wait until we were alone."

"That was probably best, yeah."

"Uh guys, I still have no idea what you're talking about," I interrupted. The suspense wasn't doing me any good.

"Ah, Bella! Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well you see..." Alice was in her gossip-mode again. "While you were at the restaurant this morning, we all had a very interesting conversation with...Edward."

"Yeah, really interesting..." Rose was trying to fight a smile.

"I mean, we've all know it for ages but he didn't – hence his outburst with Jacob."

"Spit it out, Alice." I was beginning to get seriously impatient.

"I'm trying to create suspense here!" She took a look at me and then decided against whatever she was going to say. "Fine, here it is..."

"Edward likes you." Rosalie butted in, earning an annoyed glance from Alice.

"That's absurd, you know that?" I snorted. If this was a joke, it wasn't funny.

"She's telling the truth!" Alice insisted. "He practically said it this morning!"

"Practically?"

"Well, not in those exact words but he didn't deny it. He was getting all worked up about you being with Jacob and then when we said he was being really obvious, he started...blushing!"

"What?" Ok, that was really weird.

"Exactly! And then he was _so_ paranoid at the restaurant every time Jacob came near you, the menu was shaking in his hands!"

"And you must have heard what he said!" Rosalie joined in with the ridiculous tale. "He said anything to do with you was his business. Surely, you heard that?"

"Ok, I did hear that."

"So?"

"He was saying it as a friend." Simple.

"Oh come off it, Bella! Even you haven't been that blatantly obvious! Just think about it!"

"I've already thought about it." The distress was very evident in my voice. I wanted so much to believe them but it just didn't make any sense. But what if...

"This isn't false hope, Bells." Rose understood exactly how I was feeling. She knew me too well. "He _does_ like you."

"I know my brother, Bella. He's never been like this before." Alice's earnest expression was hard to disbelieve. "Tell me you trust us?"

"Ok, give me a minute to think." What if they were telling the truth? Was that so impossible? He was really comfortable around me and we got on very well together. He must have liked me enough to consider me a friend. And then, remembering how protective he'd been, was it really so crazy that he could like me that little bit more? I didn't think I could like him anymore than I already did but the past five days alone had proved me wrong. He'd gotten to know me just as well. That dreaded _'what if...'_ resounded again. But this time, I gave in. Who cared whether or not it was false hope? False hope still felt good while it lasted. And Alice and Rosalie had no obvious agenda for wanting to hurt me like that. They were my friends- my best friends. They wouldn't lie to me. I looked at them now, anticipating my response. I wanted to believe them. Stuff it, I believed them.

"Fine," I finally exhaled noisily. Then, I felt a large grin spreading across my face. "I'm totally in love with him, you know..."

"We know!" They both flung themselves at me, smiling just as widely as I was.

"And just for future reference...you know I love your brother too, Rose?" Alice was uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden.

"Oh yeah, sure." Rosalie laughed as we all sighed contentedly.

"So, we should probably get going." My face lit up. "They're waiting for us."

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**Wow, so there it is! I've decided to move things along a bit so I've already written the next chapter and I'll update it soon if there is an indication that people are still interested -hint- lol. If you feel gracious enough to review then I would be extremely appreciative and thank you so much to everyone who has done before! I haven't actually been on my account for a VERY long time so i didn't get a chance to reply to everyone but i'm very grateful and just glad that people still like this story. So yeah, please REVIEW and I'll upload the next chapter asap :D Danke!**

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	14. Bananas!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or a shark ring

**Hey again, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! I forgot how much they made my day XD I was going to wait a bit before posting this but it was already written so I didn't see the point of delaying it anymore. Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 14: Bananas!

"NO!" Rosalie's face was frozen with a mortified expression, which resembled that of mine and Alice's as we heard the laughter coming from the pool. No ordinary laughter.

"Giggles of pure evil!" Alice smacked her hands over her mouth, flinging open the door of the swimming pool. Aro was perched on Emmett's shoulders in the main pool, an inflated ring in the shape of a shark around his waist, while Jasper was having what seemed like a staring contest with an annoyed-looking Caius. Marcus was draped over Edward's shoulder in the Jacuzzi...asleep.

"Emmy look!" Aro squealed, as he caught sight of us in the doorway.

"What are they doing here!" Rosalie was incensed.

"Their aunt had to get something from the shops and she figured it would be easier to leave them with us, seeing as how _good _we were with them last time," Jasper sighed, breaking away from Caius' glowering. Just then, Alec walked out of the bathroom and jumped into the pool.

"Oh hey, Alice!" He grinned up at her. I guess the hero worship hadn't worn off yet. Alice smiled back half-heartedly. I hadn't noticed Jane sitting on the elevated platform by the pool, sulking as usual.

"Would you _pwease_ just come in?" Caius was definitely irritated. Then again, when was he not? "It's weally cowld wid the door open."

"Sorry, Caius." I mumbled as we made our way over to the pool.

"Yay, more food!" Aro squeaked.

"What do you mean?" I jerked at the touch of the cool water, so decided not to go in just yet.

"I shark-wider dur!" He rolled his eyes.

"A shark-rider?" Rosalie raised her eyebrows. Emmett shook his head warning her not to question Aro. "Oh, a _shark-rider!_ Of course they exist. What happened to riding dragons?"

"My dwagon's bust 'member? And, sharks are way faster in water. Emmy's my new shark."

"Is he now?" Rose smirked at him.

"Show her how scawy you are, Emmy!"

"Errm...sure." Emmett growled. Rose and I struggled to stifle our giggles.

"You wubbish shark, Emmy." Caius sneered. "Shark's don't woar!"

"They don't?" Aro was starry-eyed at this revelation.

"No, they wip people's heads off." Caius grinned at Aro's terrified expression.

"Hey, Bella! Fancy holding Marcus for a while?" Edward looked at me pleadingly from around Marcus' mop of hair. Could this inhuman being really like me?

"Sure," I slipped into the Jacuzzi beside him almost too eagerly.

"Thanks, Bells." He carefully lifted Marcus from his shoulder and placed him in my hands. The kid didn't stir. It was just then that I noticed Edward was topless. Well, of course he was topless. We were in a swimming pool! I concentrated on the child I was holding to keep me from going insane. I noticed he was looking incredibly nervous as well. I hadn't gotten Edward down as the kind of guy to uncontrollably fidget. He couldn't keep still for a second. With a smirk, I considered whether or not this was to do with me.

"Aren't we meant to keep him awake?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"I tried, he just keeps dropping off again. It's the warm water." Edward smiled sheepishly. "I was going to take him into the other pool but Caius keeps splashing everyone."

"Can you _pwease_ just take these off!" Caius moaned, perched on the edge of the swimming pool.

"No, I can't take your armbands off," Jasper sighed. "You can't swim."

"I can!" He insisted, trying to bite the orange bands.

"Yeah, right."

"Ugh! Can't you just get me back ones? I hate owange!"

"We don't have any black ones, unfortunately. If you don't want to swim, go sit by Jane." Jasper was losing patience.

"No! Don't sit next to me!" Jane was outraged. Caius stuck his tongue out at her.

"'Kay I bored now." Aro slumped onto Emmett's head.

"What do you want to do then?" Emmett swung him around and let him float on the water awhile.

"Errmm...err...I want...I want to...I want to get out." Aro finally decided.

"But it's only been half an hour..." Alice groaned.

"Can we _pwease_ just go?" Caius stalked off to the bathroom. Alice held her arms out for Marcus. "I guess I'm going to have to give them a shower then."

"You're way better with them than we are," Rose admitted.

"Fine."

"Jeez, kids are so annoying!" Edward laughed, climbing out of the Jacuzzi a few minutes later. The triplets' protestations were loud enough for us all to hear. I waited a little before following him - I didn't want to make out that I was bored so quickly without him. Even though that was obviously true.

"You were no better," Emmett pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I remember when you were four, you were a right pain in the butt." Emmett sprayed water all over Edward as he got out of the pool.

"Oh yeah, and how can you remember that? You're only a year older than me."

"Oh, I remember - it's hard to forget! You were forever moaning and you were so protective it was crazy!"

"Protective?"

"No one was allowed to play with any of your toys..."

"I see nothing's changed then," Alice winked at him, bringing the kids out from the shower. Edward glared at her.

"Yeah, he used to be exactly like Caius."

"Nu-uh!" Caius objected. "Eddie's ginger."

"AUBURN!" Edward's eyes bulged.

"Wuh-ever..."

"See! So similar!" Emmett guffawed. "Aw damn!"

"What is it now?" Edward walked up to the door behind him, Caius on his back.

"Aw _damn_!" Caius cursed.

"You really need to watch what you say around the kids," Alice scolded. It was raining outside, yet again.

"I_ love_ rain." Jane cackled.

"Yeah, well we aren't all the spawn of the devil." Emmett sniggered, running down the pathway towards the cottages.

We decided to pile into number 12 since the adults were in 10 and it would be easier keeping the kids occupied with the Wii again. Alice, Rosalie and I went to shower in my cottage while the boys kept an eye on the kids. Once we were all ready and the kids had been fed some chips, Alice suggested playing a game of 'bananas' to pass the time.

"Not again!" Edward moaned.

"Yeah, you always come up with weird shops none of us have ever heard of before," Emmett added.

"You guys are good with cars!" Alice drew eight columns along three pieces of paper.

"How do you play?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, you've probably played before just under a different name. You have seven categories and someone does the alphabet in their head. Then, for whichever letter they land on, you find something beginning with that for each category."

"What are the categories?"

"Cars, shops, fruits or vegetables, famous people, countries or places, animals and films or TV programmes." Alice named each of the columns, the last one being 'total.' "You get five points if you have something the same as someone else, ten points for something different and twenty points if no one else has an answer but yours is valid. First person to finish shouts 'bananas' and everyone has to stop."

"'Kay I want Rosalie on my team!" Emmett grinned as she sat on the side of his armchair.

"That means I get Jasper!" Alice jumped onto the space on the love seat next to him.

"We'll beat them easy," Edward assured me, shuffling up the three-seater. I guess I was on his team then, not that I was complaining.

"What about us?" Alec frowned.

"Yeah, and us?" Aro looked like he was going to cry.

"Fine, Alec and Jane are on our team," Alice gestured for the twins to sit in front of them. "Rose and Em get Aro and Marcus, so Caius goes with Edward and Bella." I heard Edward curse under his breath. "Stop moaning, you always win anyway so it's only fair you get the smallest team."

"That wasn't what I was complaining about," Edward mumbled as Caius slumped in-between us.

"I wanna do the alphabet!" Emmett sat up.

"As always...start." Alice prompted. "Stop."

"G." He stated and the competition began. Edward needed little help as he scribbled furiously on the paper.

"Famous person?" He looked up at me.

"Errm..."

"Godzilla!" Caius whispered.

"Godzilla's not a person." Edward rolled his eyes.

"Georg Listing," I grinned, before explaining, "Tokio Hotel's bassist."

"Ookay, then." Edward finished within a matter of seconds and he let Caius shout 'bananas.'

"What!" Alice huffed.

"Rules are rules," Edward smirked. "Stop writing."

"Fine," Emmett dropped his pencil in resignation. We proceeded to exchange answers and after spending five minutes explaining to Emmett why a 'guana' was not a bigger version of an 'iguana,' we totalled our first round scores as 75. No one else had an answer for the last category and Alice's team had also picked 'goose' for an animal.

"I'm doing the alphabet next," Jane said flatly. She landed on 'Q', which was typically annoying, but we still managed to get 50 points at the end of it. The inclusion of the triplets had proven to be useful after all because they had an infinite knowledge of children's programmes, though Marcus slept for the majority of the game. To no surprise, our team won by a clear lead – well, Edward won - and Renata arrived at around six to take the kids back to their cottage. The boys settled down to watch some action film they'd rented out from the reception, Alice was baking a few cakes for tomorrow and Rosalie was reapplying her make-up so I decided to go for a walk around the grounds.

The grass had finally dried up from earlier but the smell left by the rain lingered in the breeze as I strolled by the mini-golf course. I curled up again by the oak tree and relished the rare peacefulness; I'd hardly had any time to myself lately and it was nice to leave the surreal world in which my life involved the Cullens for a while to return to normality. The moment reminded me very much of the first night I'd sat here five days ago: the night I had fainted in front of Edward Cullen. It hadn't even been that long - not in the grand scheme of things - yet so much had changed! This time a couple of months ago, I would never have dreamed that such a thing could happen. Ok, maybe I had dreamed it – there were few hypothetical situations I'd had which _didn't_ involve Edward – but not once did I ever believe they could actually exist. I smiled, taking a small, tattered green book out of my jacket pocket. My diary. I'd been re-reading some of my previous entries over the last couple of nights; they amused me greatly. I opened it to a page that had been folded over at the edge.

_8__th__ December_

_Hello, it's me again! Well, of course it's me. Who else would be bothered to write every single day in this god-forsaken thing? Hehe...anyway, today was extremely interesting. More interesting than usual, that is. It was lunchtime and I was wandering the school corridors with Angela, hoping that I might bump into Edward again – no change there. I mean, I know he knows about me now and after that stupid thing in the field he knows what I look like but I can't help it. It's not my fault there is nothing better to do at lunch and come on, there's no way I'm joining mosaic club! Yeah, so we were just heading towards the hall when guess who I should see strolling up with his brother Emmett...yep. He was wearing this black Slipknot T-shirt (-sigh-) and he was all hot and sweaty, fresh from playing rugby. It must have been a pretty full-on game because he was smothered in mud and his hair was all messed-up, just the way I like it! _

I grinned to myself as I turned over the page. He did look pretty amazing that day, especially when he did the next part...

_So, I just kinda stood there like an idiot gaping at him like I usually do, conveniently forgetting that things had changed now and he waved at me! He – Edward Cullen – put up with the botheration of lifting his right hand as he walked into the changing rooms to wave at me..._ME!_ Then of course, I remembered how the rest of them had humiliated me last week and that Edward knew I was his obsessive stalker so I almost died and Angela had to practically slap me to stop my hyperventilation. But now that I think about it, it's not such a bad thing. For that one moment, I must have crossed his mind and that's enough for me. I must have looked like a complete idiot ogling him like that but I've been more embarrassed before. Anyhow, I should probably go now, gotta get up early in the morning. Not that I mind, I always have something to look forward to nowadays. Oh, and the other big news is that I've found out his middle name is Anthony! Don't ask me how – I have my freakish stalker-y ways! It suits him I guess...Edward Anthony Cullen. It's so...I dunno...gentlemanlike? Anthony. And if you rearrange his initials it makes 'ace'...and he's definitely that. Ok, that had no significance whatsoever. Forget I said that. Anth-ony. Edward –heart-_

I'd completely forgotten that was his middle name. "Anthony..." I wondered aloud.

"What?" I slammed my old diary shut and jerked my head around. How long had he been there?

"Errm...nothing," I mumbled. "I said...err...ant on me. I thought...there was an...ant on me. It's...errm...gone now." I laughed nervously, keeping my eyes on my lap. Why did I have to be such a bad liar? Looks like there had been no improvement after all. He must have found this incredibly comical. Edward sat down beside me - a lot closer than expected - without a word. "So, what happened to your movie?"

"I've seen it before," He shrugged. "Got bored. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted some air." We sat in silence for moment, unsure of what to say. I hadn't felt this uncomfortable around him since the first night either.

"Bella?" I turned to see him looking down at me, eyes intense.

"Yeah?"

"Errm...I was wondering..." He trailed off, staring at his hands again. I decided to wait. "Well, err..." He was biting his lip now. This was definitely not normal behaviour for him. What could be so hard for him to tell me? "Ermm...are you cold?"

"Huh?" I hadn't noticed I was shivering. "Kind of, it's no big deal." Suddenly, my breath caught as I felt his arm wrap around me and he pulled me towards him. His skin was pleasantly warm against me but the contact only helped to increase the goose bumps on my arm. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my nerves. It wasn't like we hadn't been this close before – I'd fallen asleep on top of him only a couple of days ago – but this time we were a little more conscious. Of course, I was dangerously close to losing that too, especially if I didn't regulate my breathing soon. I realised then that somehow, I'd managed to move so that my head rested on his shoulder. If he'd noticed, he hadn't shown it. Edward just sat there, as serene as ever, never loosening his grip around me. Naturally though, a moment of such serenity in my life was always short-lived. A high-pitched squealing resounded from behind us. Edward immediately let go of me and we spun round so see Alice standing a few metres away.

"Sorry!" She gasped. "It's just that...I thought I saw a duck!"

"A duck?" Edward asked incredulously, helping me up.

"Err...yeah."

"And what would a duck be doing all the way over here?"

"It could have waddled over from the river..." Alice suggested, rather unconvincingly.

"Actually, it has happened," I admitted. "Last year Rose and I opened the door and there were about twenty of them blocking the way – we'd left some old bread outside."

"Yeah, see!" Alice grinned. "It's totally possible."

"Whatever," Edward rolled his eyes, stalking towards the cottages. Alice gave me an apologetic smile and then began bouncing up and down, clapping her hands in glee.

"Come on." I grabbed her hand as we made our way back.

"You'll let me organise your wedding won't you?" She pleaded with me.

"We'll see..." I sighed, then smiled. "But Rose'll want a say too."

"Naturally."

"And I'm not wearing pink."

"Of course."

"Neither are you."

"WHAT!"

"It'll clash with my red cheeks."

"Ah yes."

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**Okies there's chapter 14, hope you guys liked it. I couldn't resist putting the Volturi back in, sorry XD PLEASE review, i'd love feedback on this chapter - particularly because of all the cheesy (vaguely romantic) stuff lol. I'm not quite sure if I write it effectively enough. I'm about half way through writing the next chapter so I probably won't be able to upload it as quickly as this one, but I've done enough procrastinating so I won't be too long. Thanks for reading!**

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	15. Cheerio Poppets!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Twilight characters but I would love a combine harvester :)

**Hey :D Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! This is definitely one of the longest chapter I've ever written. Hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 15: Cheerio Poppets!

The sun was streaming through the window as I opened my eyes, giving my room a soft pink glow. The mirror on the dressing table glinted and threw shards of light onto the headboard behind me. I squinted as my eyes adjusted and sunk deeper into the mattress, moulding the feather pillow beneath me. I could hear mum and dad talking from the room below so it couldn't have been that early in the morning, but for some reason I still felt too tired to get up. The constant activities had really worn me out and besides, this was my last chance of a lie-in at Uley. Tomorrow morning, we'd have to get up early to clear the house and sign out by ten. I sighed; the idea of leaving this place was never easy. In a few days, everything would return to normality and the summer holidays would be over. My eyes retraced the familiar patterns on the wall – the faded wallpaper, the country paintings. This room hadn't changed at all since the first time I'd come here. Course, I was too young to remember it back then, but I had pictures. Even the bedding was the same dusty pink it always had been. I guess that's why I liked this place so much. It always brought me back; no matter how much things had changed in my life, no matter how much _I_ had changed, this little cottage never would. A loud beeping suddenly pervaded the cottage. That would never change either. I groaned, pulling myself out of bed. Every Monday morning, at exactly 9:15, the fire alarm would go off. And every Monday morning, even though we knew it was a drill, all of the residents had to shuffle outside for a headcount and wait until the alarm was cut off.

"Bella!" My mum called from downstairs.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up." I yawned, stumbling down the spiral wooden staircase. It creaked in protest. My parents were already out the door so I slipped some sandals on, rubbed my eyes and joined them on the grass slope by the car park. Mr Mallory was walking towards us from the castle, checking off the Hales as he passed them. Rosalie waved at me sleepily though it seemed Jasper was already fully groomed. He really had been making an effort for Alice.

"Hey!" Someone nudged me in the shoulder.

"Oh!" I breathed sharply as I caught sight of Edward staring down at me, that brilliant crooked smile lighting up his features. "Hi."

"Winnie the Pooh, eh?" He commented, his face brightening.

"Huh?" I followed his gaze down to my feet. Damn, why didn't I think before putting the Eeyore sandals on? "Ermm, oh those old things." I laughed timidly. It was then that I realised exactly how embarrassing my attire was. I was wearing my easily two-years old pyjama bottoms - which were beginning to fade - and a tattered 'The Little Mermaid' t-shirt. Edward on the other hand, was completely dressed. Moreover, I hadn't even washed my face - let alone put make-up on. Then again, I'm sure my cheeks were making up for the lack of blusher at that precise moment. Ugh, kill me now! I tried to inconspicuously smooth out the knots in my tangled hair as Edward continued talking.

"So, have you got any plans today?" He asked casually, ruffling his own hair.

"Not really," I shrugged indifferently.

"Cool, well a few of us were thinking of going down to this nearby pub for lunch later on, if you're up for it? Jasper suggested one you guys have been to before."

"Oh, yeah I'm pretty sure I know which one you're on about." There was a traditional pub by the side of the road as you were entering the village, which we had visited on a number of occasions. It had a huge play area so Jasper, Rosalie and I kept entertained for hours while the adults relaxed on the benches. "I'd love to go."

"Great, so we'll leave around twelve-ish which gives you girls a few hours to...well, do whatever it is you girls do," he grinned. "We're going to go play snooker for a bit, unless you want to come?"

"Err...thanks but no thanks. Me with a large stick is suicide. You wouldn't believe the amount of times Jasper almost lost his eyes." I smiled, reliving the memories. It was even harder to keep my balance with something like that in my hands.

"Okay, just us three'll go then," Edward laughed, heading towards the games room once Mr Mallory had finished his count. "See you, Bella."

"Yeah, see you." I mumbled. It was hard to stay awkward around him. The alarm stopped a couple of minutes later so I headed back inside to put on something a little more appropriate. After downing a bowl of Coco Pops, I went out to meet Alice and Rosalie who were playing tennis in the outdoor court.

"Thank god, Bella!" Alice wheezed, hunched over. "You are on my side!"

"That's not fair," Rosalie raised her eyebrows, nonchalantly bouncing the tennis ball off her racket.

"Not fair!" Alice coughed in disbelief, drenching herself with her water bottle. "You're killing me here!"

"Fine, you can have Bella."

"Too right."

"Err," I edged. "You do realise I'm not going to make much difference."

"I don't care," Alice dismissed my comment, handing me a racket. "Any help will do. Even if you just stand on the other side and distract her."

"Whatever," I sighed, taking my place on the left half of the court. Of course, I knew we had no chance. Rosalie was an incredible player. Obviously. There was little she wasn't good at in the athletic department but tennis was one of her particular strengths. She had a powerful blow and both Alice and I were useless in trying to return any of her shots. I slowed her victory down, but that was usually just because I hit the ball in the wrong direction so it ended up going over the fence countless times. Gracious as always, Rose would run out and fetch it for us – her energy was endless!

"Best of three?" She asked an hour later. She'd won every little competition so far.

"Can't we just stop?" I moaned, slumping against Alice in the middle of the court.

"Yeah, I can't take this anymore." Alice collapsed onto the ground beneath me, bringing me down with her.

"Please?" I begged again, sprawling across the concrete floor.

"You're such girls," Rosalie scoffed as she jogged up to us.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"That is no place for one's sunbathing, Isabella!" The soprano voice with the extremely posh accent came from behind us.

"Mrs Montgomery!" Rosalie replied, putting on the same accent. No way! I hadn't seen that woman in years!

"One is terribly apologetic, Mrs Montgomery." I pulled myself up immediately and smiled at her, abashed. She was coifed in a Burberry suit and her greying blonde hair was up in a tight bun. Alice gave me a questioning look. _An old friend_, I mouthed at her.

"That's quite alright, dear girl, quite alright. It is most delightful to encounter you again, Rosalie. I trust your parents are of good health?"

"Oh yes, they are quite bullish!"

"That means they're good," I whispered to a confused Alice.

"And yours, Isabella poppet?"

"They are most chipper too."

"Marvellous! Simply marvellous!"

"And how fair you?" Rosalie asked her.

"Splendid, my dear. One is rather splendid. Richard has finally retired and now he spends most of his days out with the chaps playing golf. I say, he finds that most satisfying! As for myself, I have just indulged in a tea exhibition which was terribly enlightening."

"That sounds most agreeable," I commented.

"And who is that young nymph with you?" She peered into her monocle at Alice.

"This is our companion, Alice. Her family have purchased number 12."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, dear child." She nodded approvingly.

"Errm, it is a pleasure," Alice mimicked the upper class accent Rosalie and I had put on.

"Quite. Now, one would like nothing more than conversing with you girls but I'm sure you would like to pursue your game."

"Thank you, Mrs Montgomery. One does hope we will meet again soon." Rosalie grinned at her.

"Ah yes, but of course! Cheerio, poppets!" She nodded again before continuing with her slow stroll across the croquet lawn behind us.

"Pip pip!" Rosalie chimed.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I have no idea," Rose shrugged. "It just sounds posh."

"Quite," I laughed.  
"Ok, what the hell was that?" Alice was fighting a smile.

"That was Mrs Montgomery." Rose explained. "We met her ages ago when we were playing tennis and I dunno, she just started speaking to us and we couldn't help speaking back in a posh accent. At first it was a joke but then it stuck and yeah, now we're posh."

"You have the strangest combination of people in this place."

"I know, which is exactly why you guys fit in just fine," Rose smirked. "'Kay, I'm hungry now. It must be time to go already." We put our tennis equipment back in the sports cupboard in the castle and headed out towards the car park where the boys were already waiting.

"Ready?" Jasper asked, leaning against his father's car door. It was a red BMW convertible.

"Yep! I'll go along with Emmett in case he loses you, I'm pretty sure I know the way there," Rose walked up to Carlisle's black Mercedes. Emmett and Jasper were the only ones with a driving license since Edward hadn't been 17 for very long, so he hadn't passed his test yet. Edward, Alice and I rode with Jasper, which left Emmett and Rosalie on their own in the Mercedes. The pub wasn't too far away so we reached it in around fifteen minutes, which was pretty good considering the amount of tractors and combine harvesters we'd been stuck behind on the way. The country roads were a nightmare. Alice and I scrambled out of the back seat and followed the other two into the pub garden. It was fairly deserted apart from the odd local farmer so we manage to find a bench that would be big enough for six.

"Wait a second...is it just me or is something missing?" Jasper gazed around himself.

"There used to be a bench on our left," I suggested. I had never been an observant person.

"Yeah, that must be it."

"No, there's something else." Alice wasn't satisfied. "It's too quiet."

"I see what you mean," Edward agreed. The realisation hit at once and before we could respond, Edward had flipped open his mobile phone and was dialling. "Where the hell are you guys?" He put it on speakerphone.

"Errm..." Emmett's voice mumbled from the other side of the line. "On a road."

"Yeah, but which road?"

"How am I meant to know? They all look the same!"

"Ok, well then how long ago did you realise we weren't in front of you?"

"I dunno...Rose?"

"About ten minutes ago." Rosalie's voice was just as clear so Emmett must have had the Bluetooth speaker on.

"I thought you knew the way here?" Jasper questioned.

"I did! I just got...distracted." We heard a guffaw and then a slapping sound. Jasper cringed.

"Well then, is there anything near you that could help us to figure out where you are?"

"Ooh! There's a tree!"

"Helpful, Emmett."

"Thanks."

"Anything else?"

"A field."

"Forget it," Jasper huffed. "Rose, anything you recognise? Where do you think you might be?"

"Ok, well, we're either in Owlpen, Tetbury or Cam."

"Are you just saying that because they're the only villages near Uley that you know?" I pointed out.

"Yeah."

"Oh wait, I just saw a sign!" Emmett yelled.

"And..."

"Oh right, yeah, it says we're about to head into Owlpen..."

"See, I was a third right!" Rose interrupted.

"Well make sure no one's near you and do a U-turn then," Jasper instructed. "I think I know where you are so if I'm right, there should be a junction to your left."

"Yep."

"Okay, carry on straight."

"What!"

"What do you mean _what_?"

"I just turned left!"

"Why did you do that? I told you to carry on!"

"Yeah, but when you said there's a junction to your left I _assumed_ you meant to take it!"

"Well you should've checked first!"

"But that makes no sense! Why would you point out something you don't want me to do? It's like saying, 'oh, there's a monkey over there' and expect me not to touch it!"

"Why would you want to touch a monkey?"

"Errm...oh would you look at that, I'm back on the original road!"

"Okay now..."

"...Yeah yeah, I'm carrying on straight."

"Right, now is there a roundabout in front of you?"

"Yeah, why? Do you not want me to go around that either? Should I drive straight over it?"

"Shut up, Emmett." Edward rolled his eyes. "Just listen to Jazz."

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Take the first left."

"So now he wants me to turn left..."

"You should be on a really long road now."

"It's definitely a road and it looks really long so...yeah."

"Keep following it and eventually you'll see us on your right."

"Oh wait, I know where we are now!" Rosalie exclaimed. It took them another five minutes or so before they joined us, at which point the food had already been brought out. Most of us had chips while Rosalie just opted for the salad part, not that she had any reason to watch her weight. We spent a couple of hours at the pub, generally reflecting over the past week and what was yet to come. Emmett had revealed that he'd decided to reject the university he was originally planning on going to in favour of one nearer to Rosalie. He'd already made the call and both of them were relieved at the idea of not having to deal with a long-distance relationship after all. Of course, nothing in this country could really be considered that long a distance but the new university was only a few minutes' drive from the Hales' house so it was much more convenient. We also discussed plans to meet up during the half-term breaks so I knew that it wouldn't be long before we saw each other again. Well, until the rest of us saw Rosalie and Emmett anyway, since Jasper wanted to study closer to Alice.

Most of the adults had made plans of their own for the day so Rosalie, Alice and I hung out in the cottages for the rest of the afternoon while the guys were finishing off the sporting tournament they'd begun at the beginning of the week. This was the last chance we'd really get alone before we left and we weren't going to see Rose again for some time.

"So..." Rose leaned against my shoulder as I flipped through the TV channels.

"So..."

"I knew it would work. You know, 'operation Cullen'." She smiled up at me.

"Yeah, for the most part. I'd completely forgotten about that."

"What do you mean 'for the most part'? It worked flawlessly." She frowned at the pointed look I gave her.

"Rose's right." Alice skipped into the living room, carrying a tray laden with cupcakes. "Sorry about last night, by the way. I didn't mean to interrupt...I just...I couldn't hold it in when I saw you too. I guess I just got overexcited."

"Oh yeah, I heard all about that." Rosalie grinned. I tried to pretend I was too absorbed in the TV to listen. Animal mating rituals. Yep, interesting.

"To be honest though, I think I made things easier for you guys. I mean, if I hadn't come when I did, neither of you would have known what to do and then you'd both get really embarrassed when you had to pull apart. I saved you a lot of worrying." Alice handed us both a cupcake and then sat down beside me. "I know you're listening, Bella."

"Fine, but it was nothing. Really." I sighed.

"Sure, whatever. So Rose, did I tell you? None of us are allowed to wear pink at the wedding."

"Well that's a given," Rosalie shrugged, punching me teasingly. "Bella would be blushing too much. Red and pink – no way."

"Yeah, that's what she said. How about purple? That goes well with red?"

"Purple...hmmm...that could work. Or green - that's red's complimentary colour."

"True, but green makes me look wide."

"Purple it is, then. What do you think, Bella?"

"I think...you both need to get your heads checked. It's too hot in here, I'm going out." I got up from the sofa, finishing off the cake.

"Oh really? Or is that just code for meeting Edward?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You could be right, Rose. She said she needed some air yesterday and then look where she ended up." Alice wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me. "It's alright Bells, your secret's safe with us."

"Bye guys," I rolled my eyes at them and shut the door behind me. The sun was setting behind the trees near the lake and the resort was incredibly quiet. I walked towards the lake, watching the way the fading sunlight reflected off of the water. Code for meeting Edward? Pah! If only.

"Isabella." I flinched when I heard her voice.

"Lauren," I acknowledged, not bothering to turn to face her. From the corner of my eye I could see her coming to stand next to me. She was wearing the same stupid tartan skirt she'd been wearing the other day.

"Nice evening, don't you think?"

"What do you want, Lauren?" I wasn't in the mood for any of her small talk.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Huh?"

"I wouldn't make it if I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Get it over with then, I've got better things to be doing."

"Okay then," She moved in front of me so that she was blocking my view. I noticed then that she was considerably shorter than me without her high-heels. "Let me have Edward...and I'll take care of the stupid twins for the next few years."

"Are you serious?"

"I know, it's a great sacrifice on my part but I'm willing to do it."

"Oh my goodness, you are serious!" I shook my head in disbelief. Did she really think I'd give up Edward for that? Alice and Jasper had the twins covered.

"So you'll let me have him? Brilliant."

"I was being sarcastic, Mallory. Do you act dumb or are you really that stupid?"

"I don't follow..."

"I'm guessing it's the latter then. I am not doing anything for you. End of story."

"But...the twins..." Her eyes widened.

"...Aren't that bad. Besides, I couldn't let you have Edward whether I wanted you to or not. He does have a mind of his own you know."

"I'd accept that, if you weren't poisoning his thoughts with your...poison." Lauren was flabbergasted at my blunt denial. I pitied her. Well, I pitied the guy she'd eventually end up with anyway. This conversation was pointless.

"Who's poisoning whose thoughts?" Edward sauntered over from the castle then, and to my surprise, casually flung his arm over my shoulder. Perfect timing, as usual.

"Edward!" Lauren gasped, immediately smoothing over her blouse. "I was err..."

"...Just leaving," I interjected again, smiling at the shocked expression on her face when she took in the contact between us.

"Bye." Edward waved at her with the other hand and turned around to face me, not bothering to check whether or not she was still there. Lauren stood frozen for a couple of seconds then stomped off back the way Edward had come, clearly irritated. "Was she giving you grief again?"

"It was nothing." I shrugged. "She doesn't have the capacity to come up with any insults that are actually, well, insulting. How was your game?"

"Good." He grinned then. "I won."

"No surprises there, then." I grinned back.

"Ugh, I hate how she picks on you." He glanced back at the castle.

"I'm fine."

"That doesn't stop it from annoying me. Oh, but nowhere near as much as how that Jacob annoys me. He makes me so _angry_!" His words tumbled out in a rush. "I mean, I try to not let it get to me but it's _so_ hard. Especially seeing the way he's been with you. It's crazy, I never knew I had it in me to be that frustrated..." He was definitely ranting now. "...and the way that he lied!" Edward continued, walking around in circles in front of me. He was speaking so fast now that I could barely make out a few sentences. I stood perfectly still, not sure quite how to react to his outburst. I had no idea what could have triggered it, but I was sure that this had been building up for a while. "...what the hell was he thinking!...I could've strangled him!" I'd also had no idea that he felt that strongly about Jacob. Sure, he was a little miffed about him lying but wanting to strangle him? Edward had never seemed so terrifying to me before and yet strangely so beautiful at the same time. His protectiveness just made me love him even more. I wish I could just tell him that. If only I had the guts to tell him how I really felt. _I love you_.

"What?" He snapped around suddenly, his eyes wide.

"Nothing." I sucked in a shocked breath as I realised I'd said that out loud. If the ground was ever going to open up and swallow me, I had never wished for it more than now.

"Bella?" He took one long stride to bring him right in front of me. I clamped my jaw shut.

"I...err...love you." My mouth opened involuntarily. Damn it! He stared at me for a long moment. I closed my eyes, readying myself for his reaction. He was probably disgusted. It was stupid. I couldn't be in love with him after one week.

"I love you too." Ok, I hadn't been expecting that one. And then his lips crashed down on mine. His hands locked around my waist, pulling me closer and without thinking, my own reached up to his hair, knotting in the strands. I couldn't think clearly enough to control anything but my lips seemed to be moving of their own accord. Every cell of my body had been waiting for this but no amount of hypothetical situations could have prepared me. Being with Edward was instinctive. Natural. _Right_. We broke apart sooner than I would've hoped. If only oxygen wasn't necessary!

"Wow," He breathed, resting his forehead against mine.

"Wow," I agreed.

**Haha so there it is :D I knew you guys wanted something to happen between them so I decided to give you an extra long chapter and put the whole thing together. I won't be able to update for at least a week now so hopefully this will satisfy you guys till then lol :P Don't forget to review!**

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	16. Strange How Things Work Out

**Hey, I had to re-write this chapter because it didn't seem complete enough the first time round which is why it took a little longer but I hope it's ok now. Thanks for reviewing once again, you guys give me much needed motivation lol :P I should also let you know that this is probably going to be the penultimate chapter. A lot of you wanted one where they'd be back at school and I will be writing that but I'm afraid -sobs- that will be the end. I can't believe it's taken me so long. Anyway, here's the chapter. Hope you like it and please review!**

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Chapter 16: Strange How Things Work Out

"Bella, you want me to take that?" I handed my suitcase to dad, not trusting myself to be able to carry it down the stairs.

"Sorry Bells, you got up too late." Mum said, handing me a couple of cereal bars as I got to the kitchen. "We've already packed away all the food so you'll just have to eat these for now. We'll stop at a service station on the way home if you get hungry."

"That's alright."

"Oh and once you're done, do you mind taking the rubbish to the bins out back?"

"Sure, whatever." I mumbled between mouthfuls.

"Any more bags?" Dad asked.

"Nope, we're done. What time is it?"

"Quarter to ten. We've still got time."

"Good, well you can go and say bye to your friends then, Bella." Mum passed me the bin bags. I lugged them through the door and made my way around the back of the cottages, heading towards the skip. _This is it_, I thought, throwing the bags in. My time at Uley had finally come to an end. This time round though, I couldn't help but feeling less depressed than usual at the idea of returning to school. Of course, it would be hard not being able to see Rosalie again for a while but she'd have Emmett. School was going to be a _whole_ lot more interesting this year. I grinned at that, remembering the events of the previous night. It made this week seem even more impossible but there was no way I could deny how real that kiss had felt. I couldn't have dreamed that up in a lifetime. Edward had to leave pretty soon after though because he hadn't packed, but Rosalie and Alice wanted every detail so it was lucky I had the extra time. I left out some of the specifics obviously – it wasn't exactly appropriate considering I was talking to his sister. She didn't seem to mind though.

Rosalie was already waiting as I made it back to the car park. Emmett was close beside her, talking to Jasper who had Alice tucked under his arm. The gorgeous bronze-haired one was the hardest to ignore, flashing me a smile so dazzling I thought I might pass out.

"You can talk to him later," Rosalie rolled her eyes, pushing Edward out of the way. "I'm the one you're going to miss, remember?"

"Of course," I grinned, pulling her into a hug.

"Call me regularly 'kay? I'll want to know everything!"

"I will."

"What if I lose my phone again?"

"I'll send you an e-mail."

"And if my computer breaks down?"

"I'll write - the whole quill and parchment thing of old."

"Recorded delivery?"

"Naturally. I wouldn't dream of anything but."

"Good." She seemed satisfied with that. "I'll probably see you in a few months anyway though. They're planning a trip down to London."

"I heard, yeah."

"Fine, you can have her now." Rosalie sighed, sauntering off towards Emmett.

"Finally!" Edward grinned. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, thanks," I smiled back, trying to keep my breathing even with the proximity.

"No more of those crazy dreams?" He teased, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

"Oh, plenty of those."

"Excellent! So, fancy coming with me to the castle for a moment?"

"Err...sure." I tried to ignore Alice's suggestive glance as Edward slipped his hand into mine and led me through the archway at the back of the castle. At least he didn't seem embarrassed by the idea of being with me. That was reassuring.

I could hear people moving around from the second floor but apart from that it was empty. Edward shut the door behind us as we entered the living room. Cream chaise loungers were situated around the central stone fireplace and in the corner by the bay window, there was a chocolate brown grand piano. I hadn't even spent time in this room this week, and yet it used to be one of my favourites. Well, apart from the brief encounter I had with Lauren during breakfast. That would be one of the memories I'd rather not associate with this place. Rosalie and I were never any good at playing the piano but we used to sit in here for hours, pretending we were like ladies of the manor, and that our discordant tunes were really complex harmonies. Just then, I felt Edward's arms wound around me from behind.

"What are you thinking?" He mumbled in my ear. Wow, I'd never be able to get over that voice.

"Nothing much. Just how I'm going to miss this place."

"Yeah, me too funnily enough." He took a deep breath then, as if he was struggling with something. "Hey, Bella?"

"Mmhmm?" I turned to face him. His expression was just as conflicted as he'd sounded.

"What you said last night. I was just...err...did you mean it?"

"Which part?" I bit my lip. My nerves were suddenly completely frayed.

"The part where you said...you know...that you _loved_ me." He looked a little abashed as he said it, almost as if he were unsure that he'd heard it right.

"I know," I hung my head. "I probably sounded completely absurd." He waited. "But yeah, it's true. At least, I'm pretty sure it is. I can't quite describe how I'm feeling right now but love is definitely the least extreme explanation." I let out a choked laugh. I didn't want to sound too desperate. I'd most likely scare him away if he knew the exact depth of my feelings for him. He was everything to me. It was best not to start telling him the names of the four kids I had already planned we'd have. Two boys and two girls. _Yep, definitely stop there_.

"You didn't sound absurd, Bella." Edward whispered, voice dreamily soft. "I was the one who probably sounded like I was having some sort of seizure." He chuckled once. "Man, that Jacob really brings out the worst in me! I guess I hadn't realised why until pretty late. Sorry, I can be slow like that sometimes. Well, in all fairness, I haven't ever really been jealous of anyone before. That's why it took me so long to figure out exactly what I was feeling." He ran his thumb across my cheek. My skin tingled at the touch. "But, I suppose I do owe it to him a little. If it wasn't for his..._annoyingness_...I might not have admitted how much I cared for you."

"Well then, I'm glad he was so annoying." I grinned.

"Me too." He rested his lips to mine gently. The kiss was much more controlled this time, but amazing all the same. Mainly because I now knew this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment-type thing. It'd take some time to get used to the idea that he felt the same way about me but we had just that. Lots of time.

A solitary shriek interrupted us.

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**Lauren's POV**

"You were meant to iron this, you idiot!" I glowered at my housemaid and then at the crease in my plaid skirt. However was I meant to go out in public like this? I'd be the laughing stock of the croquet club.

"I did iron it, miss." The pitiful creature mumbled. Yeah right. I scowled at her for a little longer then stormed out of my room, making sure I shut the door right in her face.

"Out of my way," I dodged some snotty kids in the middle of the corridor. Couldn't their mother keep them on a leash or something? I didn't need that kind of visual pollution first thing in the morning.

"Wuhever..." One of them muttered. The little blonde one. Why the insolent little brat! Kids had no manners these days. I turned to stick my tongue out at him before carrying on towards the back of the castle. At least they'd be out of my hair now. I was so glad everyone was going home. I hated keeping up this pretence that I actually cared about anything they wanted. I mean, why would I? Peasants. Especially that Isabella. Ugh, even the thought of her made me wretch. _Why oh why _did Edward have to meet her first? I bet she fed him a ton of lies about me before he'd even have a chance to get to know me. We could have been so happy together. Ah well, at least they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while now.

I stumbled slightly as my heel snagged on the carpet. Stupid caretaker. Did someone actually have to end up in hospital before he dealt with things like this? I wished my father didn't know his family so well. He needed firing. Disgusting, all those stinky mutts running around the place. I could see one of them through the window now. I checked the kitchen door as I went past, making sure it was locked. Couldn't risk any of those kids near the china. I groaned when I noticed that someone had left the living room door open. Great, let the peasants steal the piano while they're at it. I stopped short, rounding the corner. _NO!_ I let out an angry scream before kicking the door and running out the back. Ouch, that hurt. I hopped over to the bushes, holding my foot. How could Edward let her do that to him? I mentally gagged at the thought. How could he even stand to be within a mile of her? What with her scraggly brown hair and stupid dress sense. I'm sure all I ever remembered seeing her in was oversized hoodies and combats. Not ladylike at all. Not like me.

"Ugh!" I grunted as my shoe threatened to give way beneath me. Hopping around on uneven grass with a stiletto might not have been such a good idea. Suddenly, I lost my balance and found myself tumbling headfirst into a rosebush. I screamed.

* * *

**Bella's POV**

The car park was bustling with people by the time Edward and I made it back. I noticed Lauren on the way back; she looked a complete mess. There were leaves and branches sticking out of her hair and she was cursing under her breath. What was her problem? I saw the twins, Alec and Jane with Jasper and Alice, bidding their farewell. "This is probably going to be a bit big for you at the moment," Jasper said, handing one of his Guns 'n' Roses t-shirts to Alec. "But you can stare at it until you hit puberty."

"Wow, thanks Jasper!" Alec's eyes widened and he wrapped his arms around Jasper's stomach.

"No problem, kid. Just remember it's hand wash only!"

"And this is for you!" Alice gave Jane some black eyeliner. "Hide it from your brother though, they tend to try to steal it."

"What!" Emmett protested. "We've never stolen your eyeliner!"

"Oh really? What about that time when you and Edward were going through a really emo phase and you used to stay in your rooms all day long listening to My Chemical Romance and writing poems?"

"I never used to write poems! That was Edward!"

"Oh yeah, maybe. But you still wore eyeliner." Alice winked at Edward who rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Emmy! I got something for you!" Aro ran up to Emmett then, clutching a deflated dragon ring.

"Aw, I can't take this," Emmett held his hands up. "That's yours."

"Would you _pwease_ just take it?" Caius huffed.

"Yeah, Emmy. I want you to have it. So you can member me."

"Fine, thanks little dragon rider." He ruffled Aro's hair.

"Shark."

"What?"

"I shark rider now!"

"Oh yeah."

"Bye bye, dwagon." Aro patted Emmett's knee and went to sit by Marcus who was asleep on the floor.

"Thanks for everything," I heard Renata say to mum. "We'll see you all next year!"

"Great." Edward murmured. I elbowed him in the ribs and forced him to wave goodbye as the family pulled out of the car park and made their way out of the resort.

"So...I guess I'll see you and Alice back at school then." I was sure he could detect that hint of excitement in my tone.

"I guess you will," he smirked.

"Well, actually you'll see me a couple of days before school," Alice interjected, dragging Jasper along with her. "You know, I thought you could come shopping with me so I could get everything I needed."

"Sure, yeah I'd love to."

"That's settled then. I'll call."

"Hey Bella!" I looked up, shocked, as Jacob bounded toward me. I felt Edward stiffen beside me but cautioned him to stay civil. "I didn't want to leave on a bad note." Jacob lowered his eyes, clearly embarrassed from the previous time we'd met. "I just wanted to say sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did and I feel like a complete idiot."

"That's alright, Jacob. I forgive you." I smiled at him.

"Really? Wow, thanks Bella. Here, I got you something!" Jacob pulled a rectangular frame out of his pocket. "It's a picture of me with my dogs. You know, so you'll remember us. Oh, and my number's on the back." He shrugged. "I get lonely on Sundays."

"Thanks, Jake." I took the picture from him. "I'll see you next year."

"Yeah you will! Bye!" He looked at Edward nervously before giving me an awkward half-hug and running off back towards the castle.

"Bella!" Dad called from the car. "Sorry, we need to make a move."

"Coming!"

"See you soon, Bella." Jasper bent down to give me a hug after Alice. It was weird knowing he'd be in my life more too now. Strange how things work out.

"Take care of my little brother," Emmett laughed, smacking me on the back a little too hard.

"I'll try."

"Bye, Bells. I'll miss you!" Rosalie gave me one last hug before heading off towards her parents' car. It seemed the adults had already said their goodbyes.

"Yeah me too, see you soon."

"You better."

"Bella!" Dad called again.

"Yeah!" I turned to Edward quickly. "See you at school."

"Yep, can't wait!" He smiled crookedly at me before giving me a hug. Neither of us wanted to pull away but I knew it wouldn't be long before we saw each other again. I jumped in the car as Dad revved the engine and waved goodbye to my friends, watching them disappear behind me. Rose's car was close behind us.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Mum asked from the front. The gravel driveway had come to an end and we were about to head onto the main road. "I know you hate leaving this place. I'm sure it'll seem like no time before we're back."

"Yeah, I'm fine." And for once, at the end of the week at Uley, I was.

* * *

**Huzzah! I wanted to make sure everyone was there for the last day. I have a limited time to write the next chapter so it'll either be up within the week or if I get too carried away and it's longer than I expect then I might post it once I get back from holiday myself. It's the last one so I don't want to rush it :) Oh and just a random thing, has anyone noticed how good looking Embry is? I mean, I know loads of people are Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner fans but after watching the films more closely, I personally reckon Kiowa Gordon beats them all. He's so dreamy! I'm so team embry now! Sorry, I just haven't been able to talk to my friends recently so I had to vent it and you are my unfortunate victims. Kiowa kiowa kiowa...ok I'm done haha XD Anywho, don't forget to review! Thanks xxx**


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